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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26785447">Singing Supernova</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMage13/pseuds/DarkMage13'>DarkMage13</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pop Culture But Make It Reylo [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>All the Superhero Tropes, All the pining tropes, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background GingerRose, Canon Age Difference, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Lovers, Episodic Struture, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Grief/Mourning, How many memes can the author put in, Inspired by Miraculous Ladybug, Kissing, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Kylo Ren Redemption, Minor Character Death, Miraculous Love-square but with Reylo, Miraculous but with emotionally constipated adults, Modern Day Star Wars fusion-setting, Mutual Pining, Rey (Star Wars) is a Mess, Rey's thoughts are basically thirst tweets, Sci-Fi Elements, Secret Identity, Slow Burn, Superhero commentary, Swearing, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, a lot of kissing in this slow burn, author knows nothing about space engineering much less sw levels of space engineering, background stormpilot, idiots to lovers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:41:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,653</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26785447</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMage13/pseuds/DarkMage13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey is in love with her hot, broody coworker, Ben Solo. Ben is secretly the supervillain Kylo Ren who is in love with the superheroine Kira, who daylights as Rey. Kira is after Kylo Ren's special black ring that enables his destructive powers. Kylo is after Kira's special earrings that contain the power of creation. On occasion, they end up having to work together to save the day and those they love.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pop Culture But Make It Reylo [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055819</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Episode I: Kira</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello my friends. Long story short someone said I should make a Reylo Miraculous Ladybug AU and here we are, a bunch of world-building later after I got frustrated with the New York special lol.</p><p>You do not need to know anything about Miraculous Ladybug to enjoy this fic.</p><p>This fic will update weekly on Saturdays.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Episode I: Kira</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I'm waiting for you, supernova, supernova, supernova</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Buzz. Buzz.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Knock. Knock.</em>
</p><p>Rey groaned and threw her pillow across the room. Her phone was still vibrating on her bedside stand, the alarm beeping obnoxiously at a constant rate.</p><p>"Rey, it's your first day with the new supervisor. You're going to be late!" Rose said from behind the door to her bedroom.</p><p>Rey dragged herself out from under the covers, slumping to her tiny bathroom to splash cool water on her face to hopefully wake up. She set her phone to play the live holo feed of the news while she fixed her porg's nest of hair.</p><p>The news anchor rambled off the news, the ones that saddened Rey a little.</p><p>"<em>It has been one year since the disappearance of the famous defender of the city of Coruscant, Kylo Ren. No leads nor clues remain of what happened to the superhero who fought against the forces of the Corrupted, freeing them from special objects using his destructive abilities. Despite his powers, he was beloved and careful, always putting people first and taking the hits himself…"</em></p><p>Rey looked over her old picture of Kylo Ren in a frame, looking badass in black with a blue lightsaber. The masked hero wore a hood to obscure his identity, and no one could get close enough to him to get a good picture. The only thing that could be seen was his eyes, kind and fierce and bold.</p><p>She was heartbroken when he simply vanished without a trace. Her closet was full of old memorabilia, pictures, a fake model lightsaber, even her old hoodie and mask cosplay.</p><p>It was easy to cling to heroes when there wasn't anyone else to hold on to. Rey finished putting her hair into her triple buns and closed the holo newsfeed and saw the time on the Kylo Ren-themed chrono hanging on the wall. She had plenty of time.</p><p>She went out the door, dressed to perfection, and flew down the four sets of stairs, her leather satchel with Kylo Ren's beautiful blue blade printed on it half-open with her folders and mess of randomly thrown in papers and pens bouncing against her hip.</p><p>Walking out into the sidewalk, she made her way for the underground metro. She slumped against the open bench to wait for her train. Graffiti coated the scratched steel walls, drawings of Kylo Ren's unmistakable silhouette with big bright blue letters thanking him for his service and smaller ones begging for him to come back.</p><p>She looked at the chrono on her phone. Seven thirty-nine.</p><p>The rustle of a bag made her glance up from her phone. A man, his hair greyed with streaks of tawny coloration, struggled to keep the heavy bags in his arms while climbing the stairs out of the metro.</p><p>Without hesitation, Rey got up and walked over to the man. "Hello? Sir? Do you need help?"</p><p>The man blinked at her for a moment. "Yes please."</p><p>She took one of the bags and walked up the stairs. He followed behind her at a slower pace but eventually reached the top of the steps.</p><p>"I can walk from here," the old man said, adjusting his bag and taking the other from Rey's arms. He looked at her as if he was analyzing her and Rey squirmed a little in discomfort. "I'm Luke by the way."</p><p>"Rey," she rattled off without thinking, looking back at the chrono on her phone. "Oh shit!" She raced down the stairs recklessly. "Nice to meet you too!"</p><p>She missed her train. Great.</p><p>Rey had to wait for the next one, ten minutes later. The chrono told her she was late. Rey slipped into the train and sat down. On the bright side of being late like this, there was ample room to stretch out. Across from her seat was a teenaged boy with a backpack and a black shirt with Kylo Ren printed on the front.</p><p>Ah, a kindred spirit.</p><p>When the train arrived, Rey leaped out of the doors and sprinted upstairs. She was going to be a sweaty mess but she had a stick of deodorant in her bag, a folding-hair comb, and a small lavender-scented perfume.</p><p>First day with a new supervisor and she was late. Fantastic.</p><p>The office building for Amidala-Organa Corp. was massive and a recent construction in the last five years. Pristine and twisting upwards with windows facing out towards the rest of downtown Coruscant, it was a jewel and a marvel of architecture mixed with a spacecraft engineer's touch.</p><p>Rey rushed into the main entrance and slipped into a closing elevator, thankfully alone so she could pull out her phone to use as an emergency mirror to fix her strays flailing in her face. She managed to barely tuck in the last one behind her ear before the doors opened on the thirteenth floor.</p><p>She straightened her spine and pretended like nothing was out of the ordinary, shuffling to her desk with as much confidence she could fake.</p><p>Rose, her neighbor, smiled a sympathetic smile.</p><p>Rey sat down and placed her satchel on the back of her chair and booted up her system, reaching into her desk to take out the datapad tucked into the drawer.</p><p>"Ahem," a deep voice cleared his throat.</p><p>Kriff.</p><p>Rey slowly turned around and tilted her head up to a giant of a man standing there, arms crossed, his suit looking like a million credits. Why was he wearing a suit to a rather casual setting—oh, right. Her new supervisor.</p><p>"Are you Rey Niima?" he said once he had her attention.</p><p>Rey swallowed. "Yes sir. You are Ben Solo, right?"</p><p>He gave a short nod. "Don't be late again if you can help it," he said.</p><p>She was not about to take that tone. "Excuse me sir but I was only late because I missed my train helping an old man—"</p><p>His eyes glanced at her satchel with a scoff. "What, you trying to play superhero too?"</p><p>Her eye twitched. "Excuse you, what is your problem?"</p><p>"Besides your poor choices in merchandise for a washed-up wannabe superhero, your tardiness. Don't do it again," he said, then turning on his heel with stupidly expensive shoes—she betted fifteen hundred credits at least for those—and walked away.</p><p>Rey glanced at Rose who shrugged, having seen the entire exchange.</p><p>Great first impression to leave. No "Hi I'm Ben Solo, your new supervisor. I noticed you're late. No big deal just let me know next time if you're going to be late." Nope. He was one of those rich assholes where time was money. No being late ever, for any reason. That targeted comment about Kylo Ren being washed up added salt to the open wound. The nerve!</p><p>Rey reached into her Kylo Ren satchel and pulled out her phone and earbuds and cracked her fingers, opening up her emails to answer while listening to her favorite podcast when she was irritated. Eventually, she calmed down when she thought about how it was kinda worth it being late like this because she helped someone on her way there.</p><p>Lunchtime came and Rey cracked her back. The calculations Teedo sent were wrong, again. Leaving it to her to fix the mess.</p><p>"So what do you think of our supervisor?" Rose asked while Rey poked at her sad order of bread roll and a pathetic salad. By the time she'd re-doing Teedo's figures all that was left was limp lettuce and congealed-egg-salad.</p><p>"He could have at least introduced himself properly," Rey grumbled. "I bet his suit was worth at least ten-thousand credits."</p><p>"Pfft, more like twenty thousand. He's the son of the CEO, Leia Organa."</p><p>Rey rolled her eyes. "Nepotism at its finest."</p><p>Her other coworker, Finn Storm, sat down next to them at the round table with much more appetizing lunches in their hands.</p><p>"Hey Rey, Rose," Finn greeted. "I heard about your twenty-minute lateness. Solo wants to make you employee of the month already?" he teased.</p><p>Rey groaned. "And Mr. My-Mom-Buys-My-Clothes was less than kind to me in his zero-lack of introduction. He just scolds me, makes a snide comment based on my bag, and leaves!"</p><p>Rose patted her shoulder while Finn cringed.</p><p>"Could be worse Rey, could always be worse. He could have fired you on the spot," Finn said.</p><p>"Like he would fire her anyways. Everyone knows you're the best and who else is gonna fix Teedo's mistakes?" Rose joked.</p><p>Rey shoveled food into her mouth, grabbing her satchel and digging around for her credit chip. Time to hit the vending machine for something sugary and unhealthy to get her through this rather meh day.</p><p>"Oh, you still have that satchel?" Finn asked, a light and teasing tone in his voice.</p><p>"She's still in love with him, give her a break." Rose formed a heart shape with her fingers. "Her poor heart isn't over it."</p><p>Rey wanted to dunk her head into the nearby park river and never pull back out. "I am not in love with Kylo Ren! I just think he was cool. Very cool."</p><p>"It's been a year though," Finn said. "Isn't it time to let go?"</p><p>Rey pouted, clutching her satchel to herself and stroking it. "No. Besides, I spent good credits on my merch. This bag has been with me for years. If it tears or falls apart, then yes I will go down to the second-hand store and get another boring bag. But until then, Kylo stays."</p>
<hr/><p>Ben Solo's day went from shit to worse.</p><p>On every single holoscreen on his way to work this morning, he'd seen Kylo Ren's face staring back at him. He could punch the ones nailed high on the skyscrapers to get the attention of the ones who take hovercraft to work like the overly rich idiots they were. He was thankful that there weren't many holoscreens at his new place of employment. The walls were covered with schematics for the next line of spacecraft.</p><p>He took in the seats at the meeting. There was one empty. He got up and awkwardly introduced himself, his last name making some eyes grow wide before it adjourned and he wished them all a good day.</p><p>Ben noticed out of the corner of his eye from his new desk a woman with three buns making her way through the office and towards the empty desk space next to Miss Tico. Ah. Late by twenty minutes.</p><p>He made his way over to the late woman's desk, hoping to break the ice.</p><p>Then that damn <em>satchel</em> of hers blew all that out of the water.</p><p>It had that stupid famous image of Kylo Ren on top of an older model of vehicle, a sleek Silencer model from two years ago with his cape bellowing in the wind with his blue lightsaber. Even in a place without the holonews blasting all about it, Ben couldn't escape it.</p><p>And he had enough.</p><p>"Besides your poor choices in merchandise for a washed-up wannabe superhero, your tardiness. Don't do it again," he said with his big fat mouth, trying to leave as soon as he could.</p><p>That frown and twitch of her eye did not go unnoticed.</p><p>Fantastic impression he was leaving on his new coworker. He was supposed to get along with her, supposedly she was the smartest of the group on this floor.</p><p>Ben retreated to his desk in shame, sitting down and flipping through his phone for something that wasn't the holonews or the holowaves rambling about oh how Kylo Ren disappeared a year ago today and oh it was such a damned bloody shame and oh they want their hero back. Hero worship needed to die in the sewers below and let its corpse stay there to rot away into a skeleton then to ashes.</p><p>He settled on a nice, peaceful, nature documentary about the lifecycle of porgs.</p><p>Fixing this mess, on today of all days, was not in the cards.</p><p>So he endured his lunch break alone, trying hard not to think about anything else other than the nanoscopic-size of a porg's brain leading to less than intelligent instincts. A nap was required when he got home; he was going to need it.</p>
<hr/><p>Rey slumped onto her bed, exhausted from the long walk and her emotionally draining day. Her satchel rested half-open on her Kylo Ren bedspread. Rose went to her sister Paige's for the weekend.</p><p>She groaned into the pillow. Her new supervisor was a jerk who ignored her all day <em>and</em> he got his position by virtue of who his mother is, while Rey had to claw her way to her position without stumbling ever since she decided in high school to complete her initial extended education before she got her diploma and went off to college.</p><p>In short, Ben Solo represented everything Rey Niima never had.</p><p>She cracked open a lazy eye and noticed something noticeably making a big lump in her satchel. She sat up and grabbed the bag and reached inside for the source of the lump and found something hard.</p><p>She pulled out a small box that was the size of her palm. It was circular and looked like a jewelry box. When did this end up in her bag? How did it end up there?</p><p>Morbid curiosity took over and Rey opened the box and gasped. A pair of gorgeous earrings. Pure, white diamonds lined with rose-gold glimmered in the early evening light pouring through her sheer curtains. These stones on the studded earrings weren't diamonds though, they were different, somehow older, and they were humming. Calling. <em>Whispering</em> to her to put them on.</p><p>Rey bit her lip. She shouldn't, she should go back to work tomorrow and report these to the lost-and-found and be done with it. Something this beautiful was expensive and worth her paycheck five times over. It would be wrong.</p><p>But oh, she could try them on. Just to see. She never wore anything this pretty before in her life.</p><p>She plucked one earring from the velvet hold and put it through her earlobe, then repeated with the other one. She reached for her phone to take a picture of herself to send to Rose in a text message but froze up.</p><p>
  <em>Hello Rey.</em>
</p><p>"What the kriff?!" Rey exclaimed, dropping her phone. "Who is there?"</p><p>
  <em>You can call me Kira. I'm your potential. I reside in those earrings you wear.</em>
</p><p>Rey stared in horror around her room. That was <em>her</em> own voice speaking, but she wasn't saying anything. This voice was bolder, more confident. So certain of herself. It may have been using Rey's voice but it was decidedly not her talking. This was some sort of bad B-list holo gone wrong where the voice snatchers came to life.</p><p>"Who are you?" Rey asked, not sure if she should rip the earrings right off and destroy her lobes in the process.</p><p>
  <em>Kira. You. Or what you can be. You've been chosen.</em>
</p><p>Rey scoffed. "Ah right, I'm the Chosen One. Something something brings balance to some mythical power something or whatever. Crazy voice snatcher inside my head, you watch too many holos."</p><p>
  <em>Not balance specifically, but you have access to powers no one else does, and you can use them to protect people.</em>
</p><p>Oh no. "That… No way." Rey held up her bag to her invisible audience, bearing the side with Kylo Ren on full display. "I am not cut out for this superhero nonsense. I am a fan, an observer, a mere bystander." she gestures to her entire room full of Kylo Ren merchandise. "As you can maybe see, I do the hero-support business. Heroes don't come from poor orphans who take a lax fencing lesson every week at <em>most</em>. I don't even work out! I stuff my face full of glazed donuts and eat the saddest lunches known to humankind."</p><p>
  <em>But the city will need you. You had a hero once, but he disappeared, right?</em>
</p><p>Rey scooted her butt on her bed to look at the holoscreen and flicked it on with her remote, turning to the holonews that will no doubt be going on and on about Kylo Ren's legacy and history. "Yes, but again, that's not me. He works out and has the cool cape and sword and wears a mask and is not a walking disaster."</p><p>
  <em>Hmm. you're very stubborn. That's good for a Supernova wielder like you.</em>
</p><p>Will this voice just go away already?</p><p>"Supernova?"</p>
<hr/><p>The sun had finally set.</p><p>The wind was light tonight.</p><p>A glance at a small, subtle silver ring with a little clear kyber crystal embedded into the band, and he took a breath, looking over the cityscape before him from the shadows. Screens of the holonews and ads of the same image of a gone-hero plagued his rather nice view.</p><p>Time to begin.</p><p>"I am Supernova," he said. The ring blinked and before he knew it, his body was covered from head to toe in tight black robes. His cape, now torn and frayed at the edges, fluttered in the gentle breeze. The cowl covered his head, hiding his wavy locks from any inspection. A mask covered his mouth and nose, only his eyes to be seen. He reached for his belt and grabbed his lightsaber and felt it tremble and cry in his grasp.</p><p>He ignited it for the first time in a year, and it was red and volatile in its beam of light, with a crossguard added.</p><p>Taking out his phone with anti-tracking implemented, he began to record his message, voice distorted but keeping his dark and deep tremor intact.</p><p>"It has been one year since I made my exit from heroism," he explained as if he was going on about the weather. "But rest assured, that doesn't mean I made my exit entirely. No, I seek something beyond the patheticness of protecting people who cannot protect themselves, who rely on heroes to the point of helplessness. I seek Supernovas, much like the one that fuels my power, much like that one that fuels the villain Snoke, my master. I refuse to fool you, so I will make myself clear: I am not your friend. I am not your hero. I will get what I want, and I will not hesitate to destroy anything that gets in my way."</p><p>Kylo Ren didn't show his masked face, only the cityscape. He didn't need to. They all knew.</p><p>Within minutes he could hear his distorted voice being echoed across the city.</p>
<hr/><p>Rey dropped her remote. Her phone buzzed with notifications and instant messages but she couldn't be bothered to answer them.</p><p>What the living—</p><p>"Kylo Ren is a supervillain?!" Rey almost shouted. She scrambled off her bed, as if it was dirty to touch the bedspread. "And working for Snoke?! The man who terrorized Coruscant until a year ago?! That's why Kylo Ren disappeared?" she asked herself, or maybe she was asking the voice inside her head. She was confused and didn't know what made sense anymore.</p><p>This day was the worst. It went from being shit to worse in about forty-five seconds of a holonews cast.</p><p>There was no way, just, no way. Kylo Ren was the villain now? He didn't care? Surely it was a joke, an elaborate prank by some stupid teenagers who were good at replicating his voice modulator, or maybe Kylo was being controlled by Snoke. Mind-games were a thing within Kylo's work. He sometimes used this weird ability to get idiotic people out of harm's way with a wave of his hand.</p><p>
  <em>That would be the Force.</em>
</p><p>"Not. Helping."</p><p>
  <em>This is why we need you, Rey. We need you to be Kira. Kylo Ren is a threat. You need to be their hope, a light in the darkness.</em>
</p><p>Rey snorted. "If you're implying people should rely on me, then you truly have watched too many holos."</p><p>
  <em>Just repeat after me. I am Supernova.</em>
</p><p>"Can you explain to me first what a Supernova is other than a space-explosion before I say 'I am Supernova?'"</p><p>Perhaps Rey made the greatest mistake of her life. In a small flash of golden light, her blouse and nicest pair of pants were gone. Her body was wrapped in grey, her leggings and tunic a darker hue of grey than the muted wraps around her torso and waist, draping down to her knees. On her back was a long metal rod, and she could no longer feel her hair in its triple-bun style.</p><p>"What, what just happened?!" Rey panicked, looking down at herself. Her hands were covered in off-white wraps and her fingernails were covered in sparkling golden polish for some reason.</p><p>
  <em>You're Kira, holder of the Leo Supernova, defender of the city.</em>
</p><p>Rey looked over to the mirror on her wall, unable to recognize herself anymore. Her hair was in a half-up bun, the rest of her locks flowing between her shoulder blades. Glittering gold makeup surrounded her eyes in stark contrast to the dark eyeliner. Her lashes were fuller and her brows were contoured. She resembled someone going to a costume ball with this heavy makeup application.</p><p>"What the… I don't even recognize myself," she said.</p><p>
  <em>Comes with being a superhero you know, with secret identities and all.</em>
</p><p>She reached for the metal rod on her back, detaching it from its clip and waving it about. She used to do lessons with a staff, it was her preferred weapon of choice if she had to get into a fight with someone, but she stopped, unable to afford the costs and the commute, sticking with fencing instead.</p><p>
  <em>That is your lightsaber. It takes on the form of the Supernova holder's choice.</em>
</p><p>Rey noticed a little knob to twist on the rod. She held it out, making sure nothing was within ten feet of her or the weapon, and she switched it on. Twin golden beams of light extended out on both ends of the rod.</p><p>"This is insane. I've definitely gone insane. Can I wake up now? Am I really about to march out there and challenge Kylo Ren, who has years of experience on me, to fight me, and how dare he go full supervillain?"</p><p>
  <em>You have access to many abilities, but your main asset, as all Supernova wielders do, is the Force. With it, you can perform many of the feats you witnessed Kylo Ren doing. You also have a special ability unique to you, but since you're inexperienced, it will only last five minutes at most before you de-transform.</em>
</p><p>"Special ability?"</p><p>
  <em>You're the Leo Supernova wielder. You're made of warmth and fire and life and creation. You can repair the damage that is caused during fights, the equal to the Scorpio Supernova.</em>
</p><p>She deactivated her saberstaff and put it back onto her back. "Oh lovely, so I need to escape before I'm caught, right?"</p><p>
  <em>Indeed.</em>
</p><p>Rey pushed open the doors to her balcony, thinking about how she was crazy for going along with this. What was the plan? Go marching up to Kylo Ren and declare herself the new hotshot in town while not knowing how half this stuff worked fully? What even was a Supernova?</p><p>She breathed in and out. Then she heard it. Or felt it. Humming through the planet, through the city, through everything living. A power that connected everything together.</p><p>She jumped.</p><p>She did not go down as gravity dictated.</p>
<hr/><p>Kylo watched the mass chaos unfold on the holonet. Denial. Anger. Outrage. Disbelief.</p><p>He shut off his phone and leaped down from his perch on top of the skyscraper onto another building. The screens everywhere were playing his message over and over, crowds of people stopping to look and stare and murmur to themselves what it all meant.</p><p>He was quite clear in his intentions. There was little to interpret.</p><p>
  <em>Come on out old man…</em>
</p><p>Kylo took out his phone again. One particular fansite (which was quickly able to change their banner to #KyloRenIsCancelled) was trying to console the devastated hero worshippers when one particular comment stuck out to him.</p><p>
  <em>I just saw a figure running across rooftops and had a golden staff or something? Someone explain to me what's going on?</em>
</p><p>Golden staff? He scoffed. What nonsense was the old man cooking up?</p><p>His answer came from the building down the street.</p><p>Suddenly the cameras were focused on a figure in silver robed wraps, her eyes decorated with gold. Her locks of chestnut swayed in the breeze.</p><p>"Come on out, Kylo Ren!" she declared for the crowd watching. She turned her head and he knew she had spotted him on top of the building.</p><p>She flicked on the metal rod in her hands, two magnificent, glorious beams of light extended from both ends. It illuminated the bleak night sky she stood against.</p><p>Kylo had seen many things he would consider pretty or pleasing to the eye. The fountain statue dedicated to his grandmother. The stars outside of the city on a clear night. The kyber crystal of his ring when he first laid eyes upon it. All of these were beautiful. But this woman was stunning. He leaped from the building to get closer to her. One street was separating them now.</p><p>When he got a moment of clarity, his blood boiled. This was the old man's answer to his threat? To send some other wannabe hero to challenge him?</p><p>"Who are you?" he demanded.</p><p>She tilted her head, falling into a battle-ready stance. "Call me Kira. You must be Kylo Ren."</p><p>Kira. What a lovely name.</p><p>"Where is the old man hiding? Your master?" he asked, reaching for his lightsaber. His finger twitched on the button. "He gave you a Supernova. You know where he is."</p><p>An expression of genuine confusion flickered over her face. "What?"</p><p>She was a good actress, that was for sure.</p><p>"Don't play games with me and I won't play them with you." Kylo's saber activated. He pointed the blade at her from across the way. "Tell me where your master is."</p><p>"Sorry, I'm not interested in cowering to a <em>monster</em> like you."</p><p>She leaped across the gap separating them, landing with a clumsy step forward.</p><p>Ah, she was new to this. Untrained. Her potential was strong and malleable. This would be a smooth victory lap.</p><p>She attacked first, swinging her staff high. Easily parried.</p><p>He side-stepped her next move. And the next one. Her actions were easily plucked out of her head, and he wasn't even trying to read her mind.</p><p>She leaped up from her position onto a scaffolding. He rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. His hand glowed with a red aura. His signature move. With a press of his hand against the scaffolding, it designated into rust before crumbling to pieces. She slipped and fell with wide eyes onto her knees, panting.</p><p>He lowered his lightsaber as he approached her. "You need a teacher," he stated. "I can show you the ways of the Force. Of the Supernovas. Your master will fail you before you've begun."</p><p>She glared at him and his heart-stopped. "I have no idea what you're talking about, and even if I did, why would I want the help from the likes of you, <em>Kylo Ren!"</em></p><p>She grabbed her staff and managed to swing at his knee, cutting a rip and grazing the skin enough to burn. He stumbled back and readied his blade for retaliation.</p><p>Kira got up and waved her hand, swallowing with nerves. The metal pipes on the building snapped open and puffs of smoke and gas poured out, obscuring his vision.</p><p>He saw the glow in time to block it, trying to hold back a cough. His mask was great for air-filtering but his eyes still stung with tears. He pushed back at her, trying to corner her on the edge and off into the streets down below.</p><p>"You're playing with fire, Kira," he gritted out, finding he was being pushed back. She was giving as good as she got. "Do you not realize I have years of experience ahead of you? Do you even know what I can <em>do</em>?"</p><p>"I know what <em>I</em> can do," she fired back.</p><p>She talked a big game.</p><p>In the faint haze of smoke, he could see her face up close. Her eyes were hazel and brilliant, grey in the light. A gleaming golden jewel on her ear lobe caught his eye.</p><p>His blood boiled in pure unfiltered <em>rage.</em></p><p>"You… You… That Supernova in your ears, it belongs to me!"</p><p>"Funny, I didn't see your name on it when I got them."</p><p>She twisted his saber out of his hand, sending it flying across the roof with a heavy clang.</p><p>"Hand over your Supernova," he demanded, his knee stinging through the adrenaline.</p><p>"I'd rather kiss a wookie!" She charged at him with her staff held-high.</p><p>His ring vibrated in his hand, a sensation he had not felt in years. <em>Years.</em> Why was it doing it again now?</p><p>He took one last glance at her before he shoved her back with the Force and jumped away, out of sight.</p><p>This was the usual running he hadn't done in a long while. It was impossible. Simply impossible. He hadn't to worry about de-transforming for so long.</p><p>He ducked into an empty garage and let his ring fade back from black and red to silver and white. He slumped against a concrete pillar, fatigue taking over.</p><p>Ben Solo looked at his ring, confused, conflicted, and above all, he couldn't get Kira out of his head, her fire, her passion, her silver tongue. She gave as good as she got.</p><p>For now, he would have to worry about what caused his de-transformation so soon.</p>
<hr/><p>Kira stared. What had him running so fast? She wasn't <em>that</em> terrifying a threat. She was small compared to his size. She always knew he was a big guy but up close and personal was different from photos in her hands.</p><p>She snapped her fingers as the voice instructed and an orb of golden light appeared. This, supposedly, was to fix the damage caused. The light bounced around, restoring the scaffolding and the pipes.</p><p>Five minutes.</p><p>She ran off; the threat is gone for now. Dancing across rooftops, she arrived back into her apartment and her transformation wore off. She flopped onto her bedspread, looking at herself in the mirror. No longer Kira. Just Rey. The earrings were grey, as if they were drained of its beautiful white color.</p><p>She was so glad tomorrow was Saturday.</p><p>Without even bothering to move, she fell into a deep sleep.</p><p>When she woke up in the morning, her earrings were back to their white color.</p><p>She sat up and groaned before mindlessly turning on the holonews.</p><p>And regretted it instantly.</p><p>Images of Kira, the newly declared superheroine of Coruscant, fighting Kylo Ren, the new supervillain in town. Many people hating Kylo for what he had done while praising Kira for stepping up to the plate.</p><p>Kylo kept going on about some master, an old man. Rey had not run into or spoken to—<em>oh.</em></p><p>"What am I getting into?" Rey whispered to herself, looking at her phone and wincing at the dozens of texts she missed from Finn and Rose.</p><p>Once she changed clothes and showered all the sweat and grime off of her body, she began to trace her steps back to the day before, at the metro with the old man with groceries. Luke was his name.</p><p>
  <em>Let the Force guide you where you need to go.</em>
</p><p>Thanks, weird voice inside her head.</p><p>She stopped at an old apartment complex from several decades ago. Something told her that down the stairs into the basement level covered in shrubbery was the place to go.</p><p>Rey knocked on the door, ready to pull out her pepper spray in case it was a creep, but no, the door opened to Luke, the old man she helped the day before.</p><p>"Ah, I knew your Supernova would lead you here," he said in greeting. "Come in."</p><p>The place was cozy and very calming, a small fountain ran on a shelf, a loveseat, old and worn, was nestled in front of the holoscreen. The kitchen was small but suitable for one. Mats were on the floor with a small table to eat on.</p><p>Luke gestured to the mat and pillow and Rey sat down, crossing her legs.</p><p>Luke grabbed some weird blue-milk concoction in a glass and sat down across from her. "I saw you on the news. You did well for your first time with little training," he said.</p><p>Rey's eye twitched. "You put the earrings in my bag. You shoved this Supernova Leo mumbo-jumbo nonsense onto me. Suddenly I'm fighting the former hero I looked up to. Explain, right now."</p><p>Luke took a sip of the blue milk and began with a sigh. "A Supernova is a trinket that carries powers within, forged from kyber crystals a long time ago. Your earrings are one. The ring that Kylo Ren wears is another."</p><p>"Kylo Ren has a Supernova?"</p><p>"Yes. His powers are fueled by it. His is the Scorpio Supernova. Yours is the Leo Supernova. The two most powerful Supernovas."</p><p>"There's <em>more?"</em></p><p>"Thirteen of them, yes. Two are currently missing from the collection. The Scorpio and the Capricorn."</p><p>"The Capricorn one? Who has it?"</p><p>Luke reached for a chart of the zodiac on the table and slid it over. "Snoke, Kylo Ren's master. The very villain he was fighting over a year ago. I am asking you, Rey, to help me retrieve their Supernovas. They've fallen into the wrong hands and can cause extreme devastation. Please."</p><p>"But I'm not a hero. I'm just… Not. I'm an engineer at Amidala-Organa Industries, not a fighter. I'm just trying to survive, not pave the way."</p><p>Luke shrugged. "You looked like a hero to me last night. It takes time to get used to it. Outside training will help, but most of your strength is supplied by the Supernova itself." He stroked his chin. "You also have a natural affinity for the Force already, which gives you an advantage over others who might wield a Supernova."</p><p>"But why me?"</p><p>Luke gave her a sad smile. "Because the world needs someone to wield the Leo Supernova to prevent the Scorpio Supernova from destroying everything. I think you're perfect for the job."</p><p>"How would I even get Kylo's ring? He ran away from me before I had the chance."</p><p>"He hasn't used his Supernova in a year from the sound of it. His strength isn't as high as it used to be. He used his destruction power, and didn't know it was back to where he started, draining him to the point he would de-transform, like you when you used your creation power."</p><p>"So we're on even points in a way."</p><p>"Exactly. You have an advantage despite your lack of experience. Unfortunately, the Capricorn Supernova is one to worry about, but there's no sign of it since last night."</p><p>"And let me guess, no one is to know."</p><p>Luke nodded.</p><p>Lovely. A terrible new supervisor and now the biggest secret to know this side of the planet was on Rey's shoulders.</p><p>She took a deep breath. "Alright. I will do it. Get Kylo's Supernova. Find the Capricorn Supernova."</p><p>"Thank you, Rey. I would once do it myself but wielding the Leo Supernova on top of the one I already own myself would take its toll."</p><p>She tilted her head. "What one do you have?"</p><p>Luke held up a jade-colored bracelet on his wrist, hidden by his sleeve. "Pisces."</p>
<hr/><p>Rey went in on Monday, sweating, and dreading. Rose came back and practically jumped on her about Kira and Kylo.</p><p>She slumped down on her computer desk, spreading her stuff in her hands. All she had was a tiny pathetic purse to use until she got a new bag to replace the Kylo one.</p><p>Next paycheck her room was getting a damned makeover.</p><p>A throat cleared itself behind her. She whirled around in her seat, ready to get yelled at for her mess on her desk.</p><p>In her face was a sunflower and a little gift card to a fancy restaurant she had never been to but had seen on her way to work countless times.</p><p>"Uhh…"</p><p>"Rey Niima right?" the voice holding the flower said. She looked up to look into the molten amber eyes of Ben Solo. His hair was tousled and perfectly done, and his suit still looked like three times her paycheck.</p><p>"Y-Yes," she said.</p><p>"I'm very sorry for my behavior last week. I had a rough day but that is no excuse. I know it's not enough compensation but um," he shoved the flower at her, "Here. For you."</p><p>She took it with a tremble of her heart. "It's no problem," she said with a wide smile on her lips. "We all have our bad days."</p><p>He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good. I'm not great at expressing my emotions when I'm upset and I took it out on you. Anyways. I'm Ben Solo, your new supervisor. I look forward to working with you. I saw your corrections on Teedo's work and they're brilliant."</p><p>He retreated from her to his desk.</p><p>Rey was frozen on the spot, the sunflower in her hand still. Her face was hot and she couldn't stop thinking about how deep and nice and sexy his voice was. He was so sincere in his apology. And he complimented her on her work. She got that sometimes before, but there was something about how he said it that sent her heartbeat through the roof and made her giddy like a teenaged school girl.</p><p>She turned around, putting down the flower to the side of her binders with a smile as she booted up her datapad.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next week: Depict</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Episode II: Depict</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Depict: <i>(verb, used with object)</i> to represent by or as if by painting; portray; delineate.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am blown away by all the love this fic has gotten so I want to take a moment to thank you all for the comments, kudos, and taking the time to read this fic that started from a smol idea that bloomed into something huge. I'd also like to thank the lovely people in Reylo Creatives server for listening to me jabber on about this fic. A special thank you to my beta, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denzer/pseuds/Denzer">Denzer</a> who has been super helpful tightening things up and helping me improve my craft.</p>
<p>Anyways! This chapter was inspired by the MLB episode "The Evillustrator."</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>Episode II: Depict</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Drowning in a haze, and I just want to get in deeper</em>
</p>
<p>Rey kept her sunflower alive for as long as she could, still eying the gift-card. It was only a gesture of goodwill, she knew, but it just touched her heart.</p>
<p>She blinked. She needed to get a grip on herself.</p>
<p>Eventually, the sunflower wilted away and she had to get rid of it.</p>
<p>It had been a grand total of two weeks since she became Kira, superheroine of Coruscant. People were speculating on everything, on why Kylo Ren went full supervillain, on who Kira was, on everything. The holonet and the news waited with bated breath for the next showdown.</p>
<p>But it never came. Kylo Ren was no doubt still panicked after his Supernova de-transformed him so soon.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Rey had the personal number of Luke, who was informing her of things she could do to improve her chances against Kylo. Exercises, better eating habits (she wept for her daily donut habit falling into the trash can) keeping her mind sharp, and most important of all, keeping her negative emotions in check.</p>
<p>"Snoke would use people's extreme anger and sorrow to make them into his puppets," Luke explained over tea one day while Rey looked over the zodiac chart. "You have to be careful not to be Corrupted if he's still out there."</p>
<p>"Doesn't it work for other emotions too? What about extreme happiness and joy?" Rey asked.</p>
<p>"That makes them null to control, and Snoke seeks to control."</p>
<p>Rey thought about what could ground her when she was pissed off. She thought of her friends in the office. That gave her small comfort. She had someone who cared about her health and well-being, even if it came with gentle ribbing. But then she thought of her new gorgeous supervisor with the nice hair, and a rush of heat flooded her cheeks and she was oddly calmed.</p>
<p>It was just a silly crush. Rey never got crushes. Nope. She wouldn't deny people for looking good but the last time she crushed on someone was in high school, and they flat out rejected her because she was too <em>poor</em> and too <em>nerdy.</em></p>
<p>Ben wasn't like that, or at least she didn't think so.</p>
<p>"You're making eyes at him again," Rose said, snapping her out of her reverie.</p>
<p>It was lunchtime on the thirteenth floor. Rey once again had a sad salad, but she spent the extra money for a side of cold pasta with herbs and white meat and forgone the usual sweetened tea for just water this time.</p>
<p>"I'm not making eyes at anyone, Rose," she grumbled. "I'm just thinking."</p>
<p>Rose raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? Ever since he apologized to you for being an ass you've been staring at him like a love-struck Wookie."</p>
<p>"Staring at Ben Solo again?" Finn said, sitting down with a mouth-watering pizza slice. Rey almost whined at how heavenly and greasy it was, but she had to restrain herself. Eating healthier was torture.</p>
<p>"I'm not staring at anyone, least of all at Ben. That's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous," Rey said, shoveling in a mouthful of lettuce.</p>
<p>Finn grinned at her. "Uh-huh, and Armitage isn't making eyes at Rose."</p>
<p>Rose's jaw dropped open before screwing shut. "Armitage is not making eyes at me."</p>
<p>Rey and Finn shared a knowing look before collectively saying "Sure Rose."</p>
<p>"Don't we have a meeting?" Rose said, swinging the subject away from her and thankfully not on Rey's non-existent love-life.</p>
<p>The meeting room was covered in schematics and Ben Solo, resident supervisor, had a caf in his hand and his tie was missing, his straining shirt buttons given merciful relief.</p>
<p>"Okay so," he said, standing up and taking a sip of his caf and his hand made the cup look pathetically small. "There's a problem with the compressor on this model of freighter."</p>
<p>Rey looked over the schematics of next year's YT-model Corellian-style freighter. "What's wrong with the compressor?"</p>
<p>Ben sighed. "Testing reported back that the pressure on the hyperdrive caused it to explode."</p>
<p>Rose pushed Rey forward. "Well, Rey is great at solving issues like that. What else do you need?"</p>
<p>Her cheeks heated. She cursed Rose out in her mind for putting her under Ben's spotlight like this.</p>
<p>Ben slid over a stack of papers. "Someone ordered luxury pieces and we have to implement those into a custom model."</p>
<p>Rose grinned, grabbing the papers and handing half to Finn.</p>
<p>"Who has the money for this type of hovercraft?" Finn said, staring with wide-eyes at the supposedly demanding list.</p>
<p>Poe Dameron, another member of the team, snorted while trying to hold back laughter. "The people who aren't working here."</p>
<p>Rey chanced a glance at Ben who was staring at the schematics. It boggled her mind why he was working here when his mother was super-rich.</p>
<p>"The compressor on the hyperdrive is simply stressing it out too much. I'd opt to a less powerful compressor or remove it entirely," Rey said. "Alternatively, I would look at the components the compressor is made of. If the base is too thin then the power is not contained. A thicker base is actually more cost-efficient if we switched to a different metal that can take the heat."</p>
<p>Ben looked at her and his lips twitched into a grin. "That's brilliant, Rey."</p>
<p>Her heart leaped to her throat. "Oh, um, thank you."</p>
<p>"We'll make our notes and send it to testing for approval."</p>
<p>He grabbed his pen and scribbled what Rey said onto a couple of sticky notes to slap onto the schematics. His handwriting was smooth and looped and elegant.</p>
<p>"Your handwriting is so neat and beautiful," Rey blurted out, wishing she had a filter on her mouth right now.</p>
<p>"Thank you. I do calligraphy in my spare time. I mean, I know, handwriting is dying out but…"</p>
<p>"No no, if it makes you happy, then it's worthwhile," Rey said.</p>
<p>She was definitely not thinking about what it would look like if he wrote her name. Nope.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Ben slumped down into his seat. The issue with the compressor was resolved, and his anonymous order for a custom TIE-Silencer was filed in.</p>
<p>Rey mentioning how calligraphy was worthwhile if it made him happy sparked a thought in his mind. Looking around his office space for nosy Dameron or, heaven forbid his mother suddenly showed up, Ben reached into a drawer and pulled out his nicer fine-point pen that he used in a pinch when he got that itch. He hadn't done calligraphy in a year, but now he wanted to. He really wanted to.</p>
<p>He grabbed a spare scrap of paper and wrote his name. Plain with only a few strokes. He crossed it out. His name was boring and plain and too loaded.</p>
<p>Grabbing another piece of paper, he contemplated what other names to write. Maybe his coworkers.</p>
<p>So he wrote all their names.</p>
<p>Rey Niima, with an accompaniment of sunflower designs.</p>
<p>Rose Tico, with a rose drawing in the O.</p>
<p>Finn Storm, with an old fashioned style called blackletter.</p>
<p>Poe Dameron, with short, quick, all caps scribbles.</p>
<p>Armitage Hux, tight-laced letters bleeding together.</p>
<p>On and on, Ben wrote the names of the people on the thirteenth floor.</p>
<p>The last two names were a pair.</p>
<p>Leia and Han.</p>
<p>He tore that section off and crumpled it up, throwing it into his drawer.</p>
<p>Grabbing another piece of paper, he looked at his phone and looked around again, listening for anyone approaching.</p>
<p>Coast clear, Ben wrote a name burning on his fingers.</p>
<p>Kira.</p>
<p>And he wrote it, over and over. All styles. His normal handwriting, with large loops, with small, tight letters, with black lettering, everything he had ever experimented with, he used as best as he could with his pathetic fine-point pen.</p>
<p>Kira. Kira. <em>Kira.</em></p>
<p>It came to a point he started to doodle her likeness. He hadn't seen her in two weeks and he was starting to forget how her eyes glimmered in the city lights, how the golden glow of her staff illuminated her fierce glare and her figure through the smoke.</p>
<p>He couldn't get her out of his head if he tried.</p>
<p>Kira was a threat against him and his goals. He couldn't lose sight of that.</p>
<p>But what if he could convince her? What if she joined him? After reflection, Kira seemed to genuinely have no clue about who he was talking about.</p>
<p>And she was new to it all.</p>
<p>Ben shook his head. No, that was a pipe-dream. Not with his plans tonight.</p>
<p>He needed a target to implement the next step on.</p>
<p>He wrote Kira's name again to go with the doodle of her.</p>
<p>Ben internally cursed the fact he increased the happy endorphins in his coworkers today by praising them for their work, from Rey to telling Poe that begrudgingly his new model of TIE would save on costs.</p>
<p>He already fucked up his plans before he could actually execute them.</p>
<p>The day ended, Ben shoving his half-assed calligraphy into his bag before going home to replicate it with the proper tools.</p>
<p>It began to kriffing <em>rain.</em></p>
<p>Highlight of his day.</p>
<p>Something shoved him forward, his bag slipping off his shoulder and landing flat in a puddle. He reached out to grab it to prevent the contents from getting soaked. A car drove by, splashing street water all over.</p>
<p>The rain pelted his jacket and hair like bullets.</p>
<p>When he reached his apartment, he reached inside for the binders. The contents were saved thanks to the papers being in sheets of plastic covering, but his drawing and doodles of Kira's name were beyond salvation. The ink bled down the page, his pitiful attempt at her graceful form now marred with blotchy swipes.</p>
<p>Deep, intense sadness took over. He knew this paper was just done with a crappy fine-point pen, but it still carried a part of his soul. He created it after all.</p>
<p>It was the closest he could ever get to Kira's powers.</p>
<p>The thought lingered.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The rain continued on by the time Rey made dinner and was ready to settle in for the night when something outside her windows caught her eye and the holonews came on.</p>
<p>"<em>Breaking news, the newly declared supervillain, Kylo Ren, has made an appearance after two weeks of absence."</em></p>
<p>A giant umbrella covered the city in the distance. Rey tilted her head.</p>
<p>"A giant umbrella?" Rey said to herself, or that voice inside her earrings. Who knows at this point.</p>
<p>Her phone rang.</p>
<p>"Rey?" Luke's voice spoke.</p>
<p>"Yeah, it's me. You seeing what I am seeing? A giant umbrella over downtown?"</p>
<p>"There's more. Look at the news."</p>
<p>Rey glanced over and wow, the news was fast. Kylo Ren stood on top of a building, his mask and his hood covered in small splotches of red, splatters of blue to accent it. He looked like a walking graffiti piece she would see on the metro walls.</p>
<p>He had something in his free hand, but the newsdroid couldn't get close enough for her to make it out.</p>
<p>"He has been Corrupted. I assume Snoke did this to his own underling for a reason," Luke explained. "You need to find where the Corruption's source is."</p>
<p>Rey bit her lip. "You're kidding right? How?"</p>
<p>"A Corrupted has to infect an object the person is holding. Find it, break it. Repair the damage. Good luck."</p>
<p>Rey sighed, hearing the line go dead. She traced a finger over her earring. "I am Supernova."</p>
<p>In a flash of golden light, she was adorning her grey robes and shimmering makeup once more. She glanced at herself in the mirror.</p>
<p>"I feel like a holo-me magical girl," Kira grumbled, locking her door and jumping off her balcony onto the rooftops.</p>
<p>The consequences of a giant umbrella hovering in the air over the downtown skyscrapers is the heavy rain was turned into a massive circular waterfall. The streets were flooded in concentration. Rey halted in her tracks on one side of a building, the one across the way flooded with more water than it was used to.</p>
<p>
  <em>The Force can aid you, remember that.</em>
</p>
<p>Kira pumped herself up, getting a running start before leaping across and she held out her hand to part the waves. She slid right underneath the waterfall, coming out on the other side with only her boots wet.</p>
<p>She looked up to search for the building Kylo Ren was taking his stance on.</p>
<p>"Impressive," he said from above her. She looked up. In his hand, he had a fine-point pen. There was no ink and it was dull black, like a tablet pen. On his arm was a small tablet attached to a gauntlet. "Hello, Kira."</p>
<p>"You're flooding the entire city," she said through gritted teeth. "And what's with the pen? Going to stab me in the eye?"</p>
<p>Kylo jumped down and before she could spring into action, he scribbled something on his tablet. A glass box appeared over her, trapping Kira in place. He walked at a leisurely pace until he could tap the glass. Kira shoved her weight against it and found it barely moved an inch.</p>
<p>"The kriff? I thought your powers were of destruction," she spat with venom, looking around for a way out of her prison.</p>
<p>His eyes were crinkled up slightly, indicating his smirk underneath the mask. "Yes, but now I can create, almost like you."</p>
<p>"Let me go so I can create a punch to your stupid face."</p>
<p>"Hand over your Supernova and I'll consider it."</p>
<p>She reached for her saber staff and cut the glass clean through and pressed against it, lifting it up with her strength and that strange power, the Force.</p>
<p>"Fancy new powers you have there, Kylo Ren," she said, stepping out of the glass and stalked towards her prey.</p>
<p>He tilted his head at her. "They help me depict the things I would create."</p>
<p>"Do I call you Depict now?"</p>
<p>"Only if you give me your Supernova."</p>
<p>"Fat chance."</p>
<p>He shrugged like he wasn't a supervillain hell-bent on creating damage and ruining lives. "Suit yourself."</p>
<p>She swung at him, but he managed to draw another glass wall to slow the golden blade. She yanked it out, the other end of her staff sizzling against the waterfall.</p>
<p>"What <em>is</em> with the umbrella anyways?" she said, watching as Kylo drew a giant bottle of glue into existence and poured it all over the ground to stick to her feet.</p>
<p>"Let's just say I'm not a fan of the rain today."</p>
<p>Her steps slowed as she tried to wade across the arena and away from Kylo—whose feet seemed to be immune to the glue. His right hand was no longer holding his pen, just his lightsaber.</p>
<p>Her feet stuck to the ground. In her haste to lift up her feet she dropped her staff into the glue and it deactivated. Her eyes widened and she tried to grab it but it was stuck. Just lovely.</p>
<p>"Hand over the Leo Supernova," he said, getting closer with his lightsaber ignited.</p>
<p>
  <em>Use your greatest strength. He must not get your Supernova.</em>
</p>
<p>When Rey was twelve years old, she had nothing but space-tape, rusted metal rods on the side of a dumpster, and an old vibro-blade she had stolen from the last foster family she was with for her safety. She managed to cut the rods and taped them together into a ladder so she could climb onto a rooftop that she set up a place to stay where she wouldn't be harmed.</p>
<p>Her eyes glanced to the glue, then to the hose someone left connected to the water faucet, before she looked up. Kylo was clever, creating a battlefield where he could control the conditions.</p>
<p>She reached out her hand towards the faucet, thinking about how she could turn it. But Kylo noticed, disengaging his lightsaber so he could stop her with his hand. Notably, he was still holding the pen in his left hand. Kira reached behind herself and tugged at her staff in the glue and it shot up into the air, igniting and tearing a hole into the massive black umbrella.</p>
<p>Rain showered down on Kira, freeing her feet. She jumped up and grabbed her staff in hand.</p>
<p>Kylo retreated away from the flood of water, trying to keep dry and failing as the entire roof was drenched.</p>
<p>"For someone who is supposed to repair the damage, you cause a lot of it," Kylo remarked, scribbling a bandage over the tear in the umbrella.</p>
<p>Kira reached for the hose and tried to turn it on with it stopping and stuttering. Uh oh. "Seriously?" she held out her staff at arm's length so Kylo couldn't reach her. The Force was failing her now of all times. She was lucky that Kylo seemed to be holding back. He could crush her like a bug if he drew a giant cinder block the size of a skyscraper and she would be out of his hair.</p>
<p>"This is why you need a more competent teacher," he said, trying to yank the hose out of her grip with a wave of his hand. She resisted, trying to keep a firm hold on it. "I can show you all you need to know. All your potential is wasted."</p>
<p>Angered and outraged at the slander, she yelled in her full fury. "I don't need the likes of you, the hero who turned his back on everyone, to teach me a single kriffing thing!"</p>
<p>She breathed in and out and pressed down on the knob and water came out full blast, pointed right at Kylo. The force of it was so strong it knocked the pen right out of his hand and Kira dived for it. She blasted Kylo back so far he was trying to keep his footing on the edge of the roof. He lunged forward, his hand reaching for the tip of the hose, and it crumbled to dust at his touch. He regained his footing, but not before Kira had the pen in her hand.</p>
<p>She snapped her fingers and an orb of light formed in her hand, purifying the object into just a normal fine-point pen.</p>
<p>Kira had to stop herself from laughing at how Kylo looked like a sad, pissed-off, wet cat. His hood was damp and stuck to his head. The splotches of color adorning his garb faded away. His tattered cape stuck to his back.</p>
<p>Kira smirked. "Out of inspiration?"</p>
<p>"On the contrary, I just got more. Until next time, <em>sweetheart</em>."</p>
<p>Like that, Kylo Ren jumped off the building and out of sight.</p>
<p>Kira's eye twitched at that stupid nickname he just decided to brand on her. She snapped her fingers again and the light bounced around, repairing the hose, the building, the entire city of the unnatural flooding, the umbrella evaporating away.</p>
<p>A streak of dull sunlight poured through the parting clouds.</p>
<p>She breathed in and out for a moment. The smell of post-rainfall was always calming.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Rey had no idea why she kept the fine-point pen of Kylo's. The irony that she would be using a tool that created mass destruction in the office made her smirk to herself. It was like rubbing in her victory in a small subtle way, that only she knew about. Serves the ass right for calling her <em>sweetheart.</em></p>
<p>Ben came over, holding a small package of pens in his hand. The pens were unusually small looking in his large hand. "Hey Rey," he greeted.</p>
<p>She dropped her own ill-won pen and faced herself towards him, looking up into his beautiful molten eyes. "H-Hi, Ben. What brings you here today?"</p>
<p>"I bought a package of pens to use for when I need to do calligraphy to de-stress and since I owe you for bringing back my hobby to the forefront of my mind, I thought you might like a couple? First dibs before I offered them to the whole office?"</p>
<p>The pens were slightly different from the one sitting on her desk. They were shinier, nicer with grips, and with a little piece of metal to clip to papers or folders.</p>
<p>"I will accept if you show me an example of your skills," she said with a grin.</p>
<p>He ran his hand through his silk locks. "Oh um, I guess."</p>
<p>She followed him back to his desk and he reached into a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper, the bottom torn. At the top of the page, was her name, in pretty letters adorned with a sunflower design.</p>
<p>Her heart was ready to leap out of her body and ascend to the sun.</p>
<p>"Oh wow, it's beautiful," she said, trying to keep her tongue from tying. She looked over the rest. He had done everyone's names in different styles on their floor.</p>
<p>"Thank you." He tore open the package and handed her a few pens, some for her cubicle neighbor.</p>
<p>She went back to her desk, pointedly ignoring the thumbs-up Rose was giving her as she handed over the pens. She sat down and pulled out a piece of paper to test out her new writing tools.</p>
<p>She wrote Ben Solo, before folding the page over and hiding it with a blush. Maybe she could ask him for calligraphy lessons sometime.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next week: Dark Eros</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Episode III: Dark Eros</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eros: <i>(noun, singular)</i> the ancient Greek god of love, identified by the Romans with Cupid; physical love; sexual desire.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the late update! My energy died on me and bad mental (read: ADD) day didn't help.</p><p>This chapter was inspired by the Miraculous episode, Dark Cupid.</p><p>Content warning for alcohol.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Episode III: Dark Eros</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Purple skies with a million stars, I'm falling ground</em>
</p><p>He was too soft on Kira.</p><p>The thought occurred to Ben in the middle of the workday.</p><p>He was letting her win. Or maybe he wasn't. He wasn't trying to kill her, he wanted her Supernova. If she happened to be persuaded to give her earrings up, then well, that was even better.</p><p>The problem lay in his attempts to push her to the threshold. She didn't fear him for one. His intimidation tactics were off. Every time he used an extension of his powers he was still, still not using them at their full potential. What was that saying Snoke would berate him with? That he was too weak, wasting his powers?</p><p>Ben wrote Kira's name absently in the margins of his notes before scribbling it out in black ink.</p><p>This affection, this awe, it had to go. It was getting in the way.</p><p>His Supernova continued to run out after five minutes of destructive usage. He'd gotten weaker with it in a year of disuse. He concentrated on his cup of pens for a moment, his fingers twitching towards it. It shuddered on his desk for a moment, before lifting up an inch.</p><p>"Ben my man!"</p><p>He plopped it back down and turned to face Poe Dameron, colleague, and friend since way-too-long-in-his-opinion.</p><p>Ben sighed. "Yes, Poe?"</p><p>"Me and the group are going out to Maz's cantina tonight. You're such a recluse hiding in your little cave, so I am personally dragging you to this outing full of booze and good food. No ifs, ands, or buts."</p><p>It sounded like Ben's personal nightmare. He needed an excuse to get out of this tonight. If he was extremely late due to his late-night activities, then that would do it.</p><p>"Fine. But I have things to do so if I am late, I want not a single peep about it," Ben said, turning back in his chair to his datapad.</p><p>Poe slapped his shoulder. "You won't regret it."</p><p>Ben reached for his caf, finding the mug empty. He was going to definitely need more to keep up his energy for this day.</p><p>As he read through email after email, lunchtime came and he was one of the few introverted souls left in the office.</p><p>One of the few.</p><p>He got up to dispose of his full waste bin when he stopped at the corner of the hallway.</p><p>"This is a joke, right?" a low, polished voice spoke and Ben immediately cringed.</p><p>Bazine Netal was perhaps the most insensitive person on the thirteenth floor. She screamed high-class snobbery—the very thing Ben avoided like the plague—and never listened to Ben when he asked her to call him Ben, opting for Benjamin Solo even though that wasn't his name. The only reason he hasn't fired her yet was due to her brilliance in aesthetic design and appeal.</p><p>He peered around the corner to see Dopheld Mitaka, another integral member of the thirteenth floor who worked with fuel efficiency, standing before Bazine.</p><p>"Excuse me?" Dopheld said, his voice laced with all the confusion.</p><p>"I don't date coworkers. Sorry," she said, not sounding sorry at all. She turned on her heels and walked away towards the elevator.</p><p>Ouch.</p><p>She had the same accent as Rey, and it was like night and day in terms of attitude and kindness.</p><p>Ben, ever sensitive as always, felt the cold pain washing over Dopheld like a waterfall. Ben had seen many rejections—including from Kira herself—but this was just flat out cruel.</p><p>He walked away back to his desk, keeping in mind the exchange. A pang of guilt in his heart took over. He had considered doing this, and it turns out he may have to, but there was something a bit disturbing about doing it to the people he had to speak and work with every day.</p><hr/><p>Rey was ready to kick a trash bin.</p><p>Worst. Holofilm. Ever.</p><p>Rose walked by her side in silence down the sidewalk before breaking the awkward quiet.</p><p>"So, that holofilm was…"</p><p>It came out of Rey like an explosion of anger and sadness and utter frustration. "Awful! The worst shit I have ever seen since… Ever! And I've seen a lot of bad B-list holos. Remember that one holo about the birds attacking everyone? At least that was hilariously bad! This was… After all that hype and all that was set up in the previous holo and it just ignored it because of a bunch of whiners on the holonet! Ugh!" Rey kicked the nearest trash can, ignoring the pain vibrating in her toes. "That ending! The heroine ended exactly where she started!"</p><p>"And her love interest is dead!" Rose joined into the ranting. "Hurrah happy ending, your hot boyfriend is dead and you're all alone."</p><p>Rey had her hands up into the air, waving in her disgust and outrage. "Who dies after finally kissing her! Who does that? It's true love's kiss, not true death's kiss! True love's kiss is supposed to bring people back to life, clear my skin, cure my depression, and be magical not… Kill people!" Rey groaned. "I need a drink. Badly. To make me forget I spent credits on that… Whatever the hell that was."</p><p>Rose nodded. "Agreed. Good thing we already made plans to go to Maz's. Apparently, a little porg told me that a certain hot, broody supervisor will be there, courtesy of Poe."</p><p>Rey's anger disappeared as fast as the wind. Her face got hot thinking about the man she was not crazy about whatsoever. "Really?"</p><p>"Yep! Though he will be late."</p><p>That was a nice thought.</p><p>Maybe she would see Ben under a couple of shots.</p><p>She entertained herself thinking about how the normally chill and quiet tree of a man letting loose.</p><p>In any case, Rey contented herself thinking of how she was not going to be a blushing mess in front of her boss in a more social setting.</p><hr/><p>Kylo Ren stood behind the alley. Night had fallen finally, and he saw one dejected Dopheld Mitaka sitting on a bench, staring at his phone, sullen and hunched over.</p><p>Kylo sighed, looking down at his closed fist before looking back at Dopheld. This was perhaps his one opportunity to crush the softness inside. His hand opened to a glowing red butterfly. He pushed it into the direction of Dopheld and it went into the winged-shape pin on Dopheld's jacket. The man froze in place, the pin shimmering for a moment before Kylo could hear the man's thoughts clear as day.</p><p>
  <em>Where am I? What's this power?</em>
</p><p>Kylo walked over, casual in his pace. The corrupting powers swirled around the pin, waiting for the acceptance of its potential owner.</p><p>"Hello. You've been rejected, haven't you?" Kylo asked, as if he was talking about the weather.</p><p>Dopheld nodded.</p><p>"Time for you to get your revenge then. Here's the deal: you have the power to crush any love left in a person and leave behind only hatred. In return," Kylo looked away, crossing his arms, trying not to be guilty for everything he was about to do, "You will get the superheroine Kira's Supernova in the form of her earrings."</p><p>Dopheld nodded, his fists clenching. "Of course, Kylo Ren."</p><p>Before Kylo's eyes, the man named Dopheld was no longer that man. Instead, a man in an impeccable suit and thin metal space-craft wings with an arrow and quiver in his hands stood before Kylo.</p><p>Kylo strode over to his newly acquired underling and grabbed an arrow off the quiver. It was black and cracked, like the hearts of others so cruel. Without hesitation, Kylo plunged it into his chest.</p><p>Hot pain flooded his heart before fading. He gasped out in pain, before his light brown eyes turned pure black and his whole world was something entirely different.</p><p>His mother, who he despised for being so absent in his life.</p><p>His father for being an incompetent moron who just couldn't leave well enough alone.</p><p>His uncle for refusing what he needed and ignoring his potential, time and time again.</p><p>And fucking <em>Kira</em> who keeps getting in his fucking way.</p><p>She needed to go.</p><p>One way or another.</p><p>He wanted to see her on her knees, begging for mercy. Her beauty with glimmering gold framing her hazel eyes. Sickening. It was a crime, such a shame really, that such a beautiful creature needed to be hunted down and put in her place for her silver tongue and disrespect, again and again.</p><p>"Kira is <em>mine,"</em> he said to his minion. "Do what you will, Dark Eros."</p><hr/><p>Walking down the street towards Maz's, Rey tried to keep her ranty thoughts to herself, but sometimes it would slip out, muttering something about how the people making holofilms had this twisted idea that strong women can only be alone.</p><p>Rose had stopped walking for a block. Rey turned around and walked back to her friend out of concern.</p><p>"Rose?" Rey questioned. "Is something wrong?"</p><p>Rose's beautiful umber eyes were gone, taken over by pure abyss black. She tilted her head at Rey before tightening her brow into a line.</p><p>"Everything is wrong, Rey. You keep whining on and on about that holofilm, blah, blah, blah. It's insufferable!" Rose turned on her heel and strutted away.</p><p>Rey's chest sunk to the ground and tears prickled at her eyes. Was she that annoying? Did she get on her nerves?</p><p>"Also, the heroine with the bad guy? That's abusive and you're disgusting for shipping it," Rose spat out over her shoulder with venom in each word.</p><p>Rey blinked back her tears and wondered what the kriff got into Rose. Rose adored the hell out of their shared ship for the holofilm they just watched. Why the sudden 180?</p><p>She glanced around, her gut telling her something was wrong. Very wrong. Or maybe she really did mess up her friendship with Rose.</p><p>Up on a rooftop was a man in a suit with metal wings drawing a cracked black-heart shaped arrow on his bow. Rey thought back to the days when Kylo was the hero, and the signature baddies he went against on a day-to-day basis looked just like that.</p><p>She squinted her eyes at the man. His eyes were pure black, just like Rose's.</p><p>
  <em>That man has been Corrupted. It seems Kylo has decided to change tactics.</em>
</p><p>Rey's eye and corner of her mouth twitched. "Can't say I'm surprised as to why." For all his pomp and power, she knew from analysis of his fighting style, he was holding back.</p><p>She ran into a darkened ally out of sight, alone. "I am Supernova," she whispered. In a flash of light, the golden makeup was back on, her grey robes tight, and her staff in hand. She climbed the walls with a few jumps, on the roof of Maz's cantina, searching for the one shooting arrows.</p><p>It was perhaps good that she practiced deflecting shots using her lightsaber this week with Luke.</p><p>Down below, she witnessed once happy-looking couples be torn apart by hatred. A woman watched as her boyfriend called her various names and told her it's over before walking away.</p><p>She hopped from ceiling to ceiling before she reached downtown and the screens were filled up with the new villain on the news.</p><p>"<em>The city is under attack from a new Corrupted calling himself Dark Eros. Reports say his arrows have inspired hatred in people. Where is Kira? And Where is Kylo Ren in all this?"</em></p><p>Indeed, where was Kylo?</p><p>Kira was about to leap across the street when a loud, familiar roar of a lightsaber igniting interrupted her.</p><p>She twirled around and fell into her natural defensive stance.</p><p>It was Kylo Ren, but he looked… Different. His black garb was the same, his red volatile lightsaber was the same, but there was something off about him. His stature was more rigid, as if he was trying to contain something within, and Kira had to guess it was anger and hatred. She squinted and in the light of the city, she saw.</p><p>His eyes were no longer amber, but all black.</p><p>"I've been waiting for this, Kira," he spat, twirling his lightsaber in his hand. "Give me your Supernova and I might let you <em>live."</em></p><p>The tone he carried was murderous. Kira swallowed but held her ground. It was just Kylo without love in his already cold-heart. How bad could he be?</p><p>"Sounds to me you're just mad I kicked your ass last time," Kira said, a hint of a smirk on her lips.</p><p>He didn't retort as per usual. No sass, not even a stray mocking <em>sweetheart</em>. Instead, he stalked towards her and froze her in place with the Force.</p><p>"I should have your tongue cut out for all the mockery you give me. Keep your mouth shut," he threatened and an involuntary shiver went down her spine. She twitched against his hold, eyes darting to his saber.</p><p>She was about to eat her own words in the worst way possible.</p><p>Kira flexed her fingers, focusing with the Force to regain control. "Bite me," she gritted out, snapping free of his control and deflecting the jab of his saber. She backed away, suddenly realizing she was not dealing with a rogue troublesome cat, but a hungry, angered tiger.</p><p>He lunged at her, stabbing right at her chest. She ducked, her golden lightsaber clashing on red. She was being pushed closer and closer by her feet towards the edge of the roof.</p><p>Kylo was definitely holding back before.</p><p>He slashed at her, knocking the staff out of her grip. He brought down his saber on her. Kira closed her eyes and fell backward off the roof, the tip of his lightsaber grazing her draped robes. She skidded along the tall roof, tugging on her staff through the Force. She stabbed it into the wall to slow her descent.</p><p>Kylo was chasing after her, his blade destroying the wall as he went.</p><p>Kira ducked out of the alley and into the streets. People were in verbal fights and some of them were even resorting to physical fighting. Kira raised her hand to knock down a woman raising herfists at a man with a child in his arms. She looked behind her and Kylo was making slow, dramatic steps towards her.</p><p>Time to leave and get out of his sight.</p><p>"You can run Kira, but you won't get very far. You're far too easy to find."</p><p>"And you're too easy to get rid of," Kira retorted before sprinting down the street, making sure everyone doesn't murder each other before she was murdered by Kylo Ren himself.</p><p>As she ran and latched onto a sturdy metal sign and scurried up the building, Kira ran over what she could possibly do. She hadn't been able to get his Supernova off of his finger, not even once, but that seemed to be her only solution, was it?</p><p>
  <em>It's just Corruption clouding his personality and judgment.</em>
</p><p>Kira huffed for air as she climbed onto the roof. "Just Corruption infecting his entire being with hatred." she peered over the edge and Kylo was scaling the walls.</p><p>
  <em>Well, what is hatred combated with?</em>
</p><p>She made a beeline for the next building, urging the Force to lift her across greater distance in the gaps than humanly possible. She could run, but she couldn't run forever.</p><p>"Love," Kira grumbled. "But how would I even do that, I hate him almost as much, not enough to commit murder but I certainly do not care for him any more…"</p><p>She reflected on her rant only an hour ago with Rose. How love wasn't supposed to kill someone, specifically true love's <em>kiss.</em></p><p>Hell to the no.</p><p>Maybe she could just get him to de-transform.</p><p>Kira stalled in her tracks and positioned her staff in front. Kylo drew his crossguard.</p><p>"Not going to use your Supernova on me?" she gloated between traded blows, praying it would be enough.</p><p>"I know I will de-transform and that's exactly what you want, isn't it?"</p><p>Well, dammit.</p><p>Time to rethink this plan.</p><p>Kira dodged a swipe of his crossguard, eying a scaffolding on the edge of the roof with a rope. She tugged the rope towards her and swung across. She threw her staff at the metal holding the rope, tearing it into two. The debris shot towards Kylo, who sliced the metal into pieces in hot sparks.</p><p>Kira had already made her way down an alley and out of sight. She made herself small and crawled underneath a cardboard box to let herself breathe.</p><p>The skid of boots on steel made her freeze, tucking herself in tighter. Just like the days when she hid from authorities or people who would do her harm.</p><p>
  <em>Sometimes the only solution is the toughest one.</em>
</p><p>If she could, she would tell the voice in her kyber crystal to sod off.</p><p>Kira couldn't believe she was considering this. Couldn't believe she was forced into a no-win situation that forced her to dig up feelings she had buried instantly weeks ago.</p><p>Rose walked into her room on that fateful Sunday after Rey made her debut as "Kira" and found her clock, her bedspread, her posters, her photos, her cloak, and even fake lightsaber were all but gone, golden replacements in their stead.</p><p>It tore Rey to shreds to be so quick to disassociate so fast, to cut off her love and admiration and shove it all into the closet and act like it was fine, being a superheroine fighting someone she looked up to. In truth, she secretly hoped that whatever changed Kylo Ren into the asshole villain he was, it could reverse course. But power reveals, and he made his choice. Now she had to muster all that up into her old, former love. It was just a stupid silly crush.</p><p>She was not looking forward to this. She hated this. She loathed this. For crying out loud she hated <em>him.</em></p><p>But oh, did a small, stupid inner fangirl voice did rejoice, just a smidge.</p><p>Heavy footsteps.</p><p>"You know I can feel your Force signature?" His voice spoke through his encoder.</p><p>Oh <em>fuck.</em></p><p>The box was lifted up off her small form. Her golden saber collided with his red saber.</p><p>That stupid mask of his was in the way.</p><p>Kira scrambled to her feet, slamming the dumpster into Kylo and knocking him to the ground. She ran out onto the street, thinking of where to get privacy for the dumbest move she ever had to do in the history of superheroism.</p><p>The city greenhouses were very empty this time of night.</p><p>Ducking between people and leaping through alleys and backroads, Kira came upon the local greenhouses, closed from the public. She sliced open the locks and backed herself into the greenhouse, looking up to the sky and thankful it was clear of any holo drones watching.</p><p>Kylo was upon her, taking his time. She rolled her eyes. Needlessly dramatic.</p><p>"You need to stop running," he said. "You're only delaying the inevitable. I will only spare you if you give me your <em>fucking Supernova."</em></p><p>Kira prepared herself with a deep breath, taking a step closer. Time to enact this ridiculous and reckless plan. "Nah, no thanks, I have different ideas."</p><p>She lunged, sliding her blade against his. She jumped with aid from the Force, her hand releasing her staff and pushing him down to the ground. He raised his lightsaber again but she pushed back before it could graze her face. Kira found herself straddling Kylo's hips and fighting against his raised fist. His black eyes up close like this terrified her to her core and a twinge of sadness flooded her heart. How was it, once upon a time, she gazed upon amber eyes with reverence? She hated that it went this way, and she hated, hated, how it forced her into this position.</p><p>On the side of his mask was a small indent. That was how she could remove it, if only he could release his stupid lightsaber first.</p><p>Kira shoved his hand away. The Force was in her hand and she was going to use it. She twisted the crossguard out of his grip, letting out a yelp when his free hand yanked on her hair, forcing her to drop her staff.</p><p>His gloved fingers reached for her earlobe. "Give. Me. Your. Supernova," he gritted out.</p><p>"Fat chance Kylo," she fired back, slapping his hand and reaching for the side of his mask and, without a single moment of hesitation or observation, she pressed her lips to his.</p><p>Kira prayed it would work. She prayed she could muster enough of her old fangirlism and reverence and former respect into some sort of twisted dying ember. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she took in the fact his lips were very soft. And nice. Very, very nice. He had stopped moving, releasing his iron grip on her hair. His fingers moved down to massage her nape softly, a gentle hand on her hip.</p><p>She was terrified of moving, of resuming this battle and it would have to end and she really didn't want to face guilt-city right now.</p><p>But he made the choice for her, as he suddenly shoved her off onto her side and scrambled to his feet.</p><p>His mask was back on and he reached for his lightsaber, but his eyes were lighter again, no longer pure black abyss.</p><p>Kira sat there, dazed.</p><p>"What…" He looked around. "What did I do?"</p><p>She rolled her eyes. "Your own Corrupted underling happened, that's what." Kira held out her hand and collected her staff before stalking out. " I gotta go deal with Dark Eros now."</p><hr/><p>Kylo blinked, too stunned, too confused, his brain in a haze over what just happened.</p><p>Did Kira just kiss him? On the mouth? And why was her kiss so magical? So… Right?</p><p>His heart pounded in his ears as he replayed the moment over and over in his head. Kira had kissed him.</p><p>It was so confusing and felt so good, he only pushed her off because he didn't want her seeing his true identity. Otherwise, he was content to continue kissing her, holding her close to his body.</p><p>Kylo needed to sit down.</p><p>He parked himself next to a giant tree in a potted plant, his face so hot he needed to get out of his uniform and go jump into the nearest lake, conveniently placed a few yards away from the greenhouses. He reached up with his gloved fingers to press against his mouth beneath his mask. Her pretty pink lips were just as soft as they looked.</p><p>He pulled up the holonet live feed and watched as Kira clipped the wings of Dark Eros and the guilt of what he had nearly done came rushing back. He nearly killed her, several times. The mild annoyance in his heart festered into full-blown hatred and he almost hurt her.</p><p>Kira snapped her fingers and the bouncing of that orb of light signaled Ben's plan failing. Dopheld was returned to normal, confused and unaware of where he was.</p><p>Kylo pushed himself up from the floor, seeing the orb of light bounce into the greenhouse to repair the damage in their battle.</p><p>He walked out and de-transformed behind a tree.</p><p>And Ben took a breath before jumping straight into the lake.</p><hr/><p>Rey ran right back to where she was supposed to meet Rose, a block away from Maz's cantina.</p><p>Rose gave her an apologetic smile, her umber eyes returned in full, beautiful hue.</p><p>"Sorry for saying all that," Rose said. "I wasn't even mad at you I was madder about the holofilm so I don't know what…"</p><p>Rey smiled. "Dark Eros. It's fine."</p><p>"Never thought I would get hit by a Corrupted like that."</p><p>They walked into Maz's and Poe and Finn were there, already blown through a few drinks.</p><p>"Hey hey!" Poe greeted. "I thought Dark Eros got ya."</p><p>Rose laughed. "He did, but everything is all good now."</p><p>Finn nodded. "We were already inside when everything happened. Took Kira a while to deal with him though."</p><p>Rey sat down, ordering the hardest drink so she could forget this shitty day. "Yeah. Probably had to prevent people from killing each other."</p><p>"Well, no casualties were reported so," Poe raised his beer, "To Kira!"</p><p>Rey downed her drink as soon as the server droid handed it to her.</p><p>"Mind if I squeeze in here?" Ben's rich, smooth voice spoke behind her.</p><p>Her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. The only spot open at the table, conveniently, was next to her.</p><p>She adjusted herself in her chair and swallowed, smiling brightly at Ben. "I don't mind at all."</p><p>He sat down next to her and something was off. His hair looked damp, his clothes even more so.</p><p>"What, did you just take a dip in the park lake, Ben?" Poe joked. "When you said you would be late, I didn't anticipate you coming in looking half-drowned like a rat."</p><p>Ben cleared his throat, adjusting his tie. "My wallet fell in."</p><p>Rey took a long sip from her margarita, trying not to eye the fact he wore a white shirt underneath his black jacket and white shirts were known to do certain things when wet.</p><p>Throughout drinks and many yummy hors d'oeuvres, Rey noticed that Ben was staring off into space, not really paying attention to Finn's story of how he got holo-stalked by Poe by accident.</p><p>"Hey, you okay big guy?" She nudged him with her elbow.</p><p>"Hmm?" He looked over at her and his eyes were so gazed. "Oh. sorry. A lot on my mind tonight. How was the holofilm? Poe said you and Rose were gonna see it today."</p><p>Rose giggled. "Oh, don't get her started… Or maybe do. She said it more eloquently than I."</p><p>Oh right, her original reason for wanting to have a nice drink. Or two. Or ten. Before she locked lips with Kylo Ren. "Let's just say, true love's kiss should conquer all, not kill the one you love," Rey grumbled, shoving a jalapeno pepper popper into her mouth.</p><p>"Is that so?" he asked, amusement in his tone. "So you're saying that true love's kiss could break any curse and override hatred?"</p><p>"Exactly. The holofilm sucked because it didn't get that concept right."</p><p>"Sounds like a bad time."</p><p>Rose nodded. "It was. An incoherent mess of a plot with a terrible ending on top of it. They killed the heroine's love just because he did some bad things as the bad guy."</p><p>"At least they <em>kissed</em>, right?" Ben added, making Rey blush at the way he said it, like he was really, really interested in that specific development.</p><p>Rey ordered another round of drinks and more jalapeno poppers, trying to not think of how Kylo Ren's lips felt and thinking of how Ben's might feel.</p><p>When she went into work on Monday, Mitaka was sitting at his desk, humming to himself.</p><p>"You okay?" she asked.</p><p>Mitaka nodded. "Just peachy. I got a date this Friday."</p><p>"Congrats! You deserve it."</p><p>Rey sat down at her own desk, reaching into her desk and grabbing the pen she had stolen off of Kylo Ren weeks ago.</p><p>At least she had this, despite her emotions still in obnoxious turmoil over that stupid kiss that ended up saving her life.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next week: Chronogirl.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Episode IV: Chronogirl</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Butterfly Effect <i>(noun)</i>: a cumulatively large effect that a very small natural force may produce over a period of time.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wow my writing productivity took a nose-dive. Anyways here's this timey-whimey chapter.</p><p>This chapter is based on the Miraculous episode "Timebreaker." (The French title for the episode is "Chronogirl.")</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Episode IV: Chronogirl</em>
</p><p>
  <em>These days when I'm losing track of time</em>
</p><p>
  <em>These days when I'm burning up inside</em>
</p><p>
  <em>These days when I'm lost I search the skies</em>
</p><hr/><p>Ben Solo knew his own stupidity like the back of his hand.</p><p>When he was a teenager and he said the word green that was colored red, read "red," he realized his mistake so fast with pink ears and a laugh from his father. Or that time he used his Supernova's special power within the first thirty seconds of taking on his alter-ego, promptly de-transforming five minutes later without realizing it.</p><p>This time his stupidity cost him dearly.</p><p>She was right there, with her Supernova on her delicate earlobes, kissing him, and he was too awe-struck to realize the golden opportunity to just take Kira's Supernova. It was <em>right fucking there.</em></p><p>He hoped to have other opportunities, though he wasn't sure if he was thinking of being kissed by her again or to getting close enough to snatch her Supernova.</p><p>Ben fumbled around with his ring, silver in its neutral state. Unassuming, blending into the world without scrutiny. He knew what her Supernova looked like when it was equally docile. White crystals. He supposed he would have to awkwardly stare at the lobes of every woman he came across.</p><p>The problem was the newest trend of fashion was a replication of the style of very old earrings Kira wore.</p><p>When he first caught sight of a pair of earrings on a woman in the same style and cut of gemstone, it was on Kaydel Connix. Aquamarine blue that complimented her braided hair. Then he saw Rose wearing earrings. Then Rey. Even Bazine.</p><p>While he went to the copy machine to print out a different model schematic, he passed by Rose and Rey's shared spaces. Rey was flushed and out of breath and looking particularly irritated.</p><p>"That stupid no-good Kylo Ren asshole and his stupid destruction and Kira having to clean up his fucking messes is constantly making me late to work now. Why can't he choose a better time to inflict Corrupted on us?"</p><p>Rose laughed. "Funny how I'm on time but you're not."</p><p>"You leave sooner than me," Rey grumbled. "I just have bad luck. Fucking Kylo Ren."</p><p>He flinched. He started in the mornings sometimes because the rush and tiredness of people on Mondays was ripe for negative emotions taking hold. Like today, when he Corrupted a man who had his suit soaked by spilled caf. End result was a blockade between the building and the metro, thus making Rey late.</p><p>The guilt of his actions impeding on his co-workers, especially one so bright and full of sunshine like Rey, made his mouth run before his logical brain caught up with the impulsivity.</p><p>"Would you like a ride to work?" he asked.</p><hr/><p>Rey stared at her hot supervisor.</p><p>Did he just offer to take her to work every day?</p><p>"Sorry what?" she asked, trying to make sense of the words coming out of Ben's mouth.</p><p>"I have a car and room, if you need a ride to work. Save on fuel and all that," he said.</p><p>Rey thought she was going to die of overthinking and being ridiculous. She was just being offered a nice ride to her job, not being proposed to. It was too much, far too much.</p><p>She chanced a glance at Rose who was wide-eyed and mouthing to her to take the hot man's offer.</p><p>"Either of you interested?" Ben said.</p><p>"Sure, I'm interested," Rey forced the words out of her mouth.</p><p>"I'm down for it," Rose said.</p><p>A small grin adorned Ben's pretty mouth. "Great. It'll pick you two up tomorrow. Just send me your address."</p><p>Rose sent a sly smile at Rey. "Maybe you'll get up at a better time for once."</p><p>Rey's face was on fire.</p><p>At lunchtime, Rey decided to splurge after over a month of a sugar-less existence and bought a soda from the vending machine.</p><p>She saw Kaydel Connix sprinting down the hall, her hair a mess, not in the usual tight blonde braid wrapped around the top of her head. She was frantic, saying hi to Rey in passing before stopping in front of her team leader, Bazine Netal.</p><p>"You're late, again," Bazine said, her voice clipped and harsh.</p><p>Kaydel straightened her back. "I know, I'm so sorry. The Corruption this morning caused massive traffic jam and my phone was dead—"</p><p>"I'm sick of your excuses, next time you're late again I will report you and your job will be on the line, got it?" Bazine snapped, stepping past Kaydel and walking into her office.</p><p>Rey winced as Kaydel stood there. She heard a sniffle.</p><p>"You okay, Kaydel?"</p><p>Kaydel wiped her eyes. "I'm fine Rey. I just need a moment."</p><p>She didn't give Rey a chance to comfort her, opting to walk away and into a single-bathroom, locking it.</p><p>Rey sighed, wishing she could console her coworker, and throw hands in her honor.</p><hr/><p>Ben felt the turmoil of emotions rolling over Kaydel Connix, who set the time tables and deadlines. She was good at rounding up estimates of everyone's work and making it function well. Every minute was precious. The thirteenth floor would be squirreling their time away if it wasn't for the combined efforts of Kaydel, Ben, and Bazine, with Kaydel at the crux of it all.</p><p>Kaydel prided herself on being early, the only other time she was late was due to a pet-sitting emergency.</p><p>Ben had to shove aside his guilt, the messy feelings that his actions caused. Not one thing came without consequences, good or bad. He had to remind himself that what he was doing was for something greater. A little bit of pain went a long way.</p><p>He could ignore it for now.</p><p>The time was nigh, no room for guilt, only drive.</p><p>On the fifth floor, the restroom was always empty and conveniently, had no security cameras in its purview. He slipped inside, taking a shaky breath. It was lunch time and they had work to do, but this was his golden opportunity and he couldn't waste it. Rey or the rest of his team would console Kaydel and that would be the end of that before the end of the day. Time wasn't on his side, but it was about to be.</p><p>Within minutes, he was dressed in his typical black, a red butterfly sitting in his palm.</p><p>The butterfly took off into the vents, straight to the source of misery.</p><p>Kylo Ren spoke, feeling that tethering connection he had with all his underlings. "Hello Chronogirl. I offer you something in return for being able to change time. Help me get Kira's Supernova and you can change time at will with just a touch of your fingers."</p><p>
  <em>Hmm, you drive a hard bargain, Kylo Ren.</em>
</p><p>He de-transformed, opting to reveal his presence outside.</p><hr/><p>Rey munched away at her sad salad, trying to ignore the triple deluxe burger with onion rings that Poe was eating a table over.</p><p>The door to the eating area was busted down and standing with a dramatic pose was a woman with blue visors on, her boots armed with twin blades.</p><p>Uh oh.</p><p>She squinted at the intruder, shifting her chair backwards to minimize her presence in the room.</p><p>"Kaydel?" Finn asked.</p><p>Rose grimaced. "I don't think that's Kaydel anymore."</p><p>"No one will get hurt," the intruder in electric blue spoke, her voice echoing across the silent room. "If you give me your time."</p><p>"Uh, who the hell are you?" Poe demanded.</p><p>"Chronogirl. You might be familiar with my employer, Kylo Ren."</p><p>"Of course it's that asshole," Rey muttered, glancing at the side exit. If she could get out of the room…</p><p>Chronogirl took a step forward and seemingly disappeared before appearing in front of Poe. With a touch of her fingers to his arm, he froze in place, fading away.</p><p>"Shit!" Rey made a mad dash for the exit, grabbing her chair and throwing it at Chronogirl as she strolled toward Rose. The chair set her off balance and Rose was able to escape along with Finn. "Everyone leave now!"</p><p>Rey slammed the side entrance shut, everyone fleeing for the elevator.</p><p>"Rey come on!" Rose tugged at her sleeve.</p><p>"It's fine Rose, someone has to help before Kira arrives," Rey said, stepping back and grabbing a spare table and shoving it against the side exit once everyone loaded in.</p><p>Rey made her way down the stairs, knowing how many stories there were. There were security cameras everywhere, even in the stairwells. Bloody perfect.</p><p>Rey huffed for air at the bottom, stepping out into the crisp autumn air in the back alley. She ducked behind the dumpster. "I am Supernova," she said, transforming in a small shimmering light to reduce her visibility in broad daylight.</p><p>Kira watched as everyone fled the building from the front. Chronogirl had managed to make her way to the first floor, teleporting to each person.</p><p>"No!" Kira cried out, watching as Rose, then Finn, then the others, were picked off one by one. She stepped out from the wall of the building and drew her staff, igniting it.</p><p>Chronogirl whirled around and narrowed her eyes. "Oh you're finally here. It's about time."</p><p>"What did you do to them!?" Kira demanded.</p><p>"I borrowed their time. With enough of it I can go back and change things to my whims."</p><p>"You cannot change the past!" Kira declared. "Trying to do so will lead to worse consequences."</p><p>"Oh, that's where you're wrong," spoke Kylo Ren behind her. Kira rolled her eyes. Just peachy. "Chronogirl won't go back, if you hand over your Supernova, sweetheart."</p><p>Kira whirled around in her outrage. "Seriously? That's your ultimate bargaining chip?"</p><p>Kylo shrugged. "I know you wouldn't want consequences on the timeline."</p><p>She pointed her finger at him in her fury. "You arrogant bastard! You think you can act like you know me but maybe I just don't want to go around messing with timey-wimey things! Ever think of that? And to stoop so low as to use this as leverage!"</p><p>"So are you actually going to give him your Supernova or not?" Chronogirl asked behind her.</p><p>Kira scoffed. "Hell, no."</p><p>"Then I guess I can go back in time and stop you two before you made me late for my own job," Chronogirl said.</p><p>Kylo's eyes widened. "Wait, that was not part of our deal—"</p><p>"Oh please, what did you expect, Kylo Ren. You're the reason I am like this, do you think I wouldn't use the powers you granted me for revenge?" Chronogirl explained. "I just need one more person and then I can swipe both of your time and the city would be in a better place!"</p><p>Kira whirled around to talk Chronogirl down. "That would devastate the entire," she gestured to the air, "Everything!"</p><p>Chronogirl looked at her nails. "I don't know. Maybe you just don't know anything about how time works. Or the wondrous Butterfly Effect, not to be confused with the butterflies Kylo uses."</p><p>"That's just a theory!" Kira yelled. She looked back at Kylo. "Right?"</p><p>His stance was infuriatingly indifferent. "Doesn't <em>your</em> master teach you anything?"</p><p>Before Kira could retort with a confident yes, his molten eyes widened and he dove after her, twirling around and stilling, with her in his arms.</p><p>Her world came crashing down. Time froze for Kira, watching as a thousand contradictions shattered and her heart broke. She gasped as she stared into his eyes, frozen and unmoving.</p><p>"Well," Chronogirl said behind him. "I was going to take your time but his will do too."</p><p>Kira was paralyzed as her enemy-once-hero faded away before her eyes.</p><p>He actually saved her. He threw his life away for her. She backed away from Chronogirl, her brain trying to catch up with this twist of events. Fleeing was the only option to recover from her pounding heart and spinning head.</p><p>Luke had some major explaining to do.</p><p>She swung her lightsaber at Chronogirl, grazing her elbow with a light burn, aiming at her knee and getting in a hit as well. Chronogirl hissed in pain, clutching at her elbow and kneeling down from the pain. Kira ducked behind the building, sprinting down the back alley, her staff out in case Chronogirl decided to teleport again. Kira couldn't take any further risks. If she was touched, then Chronogirl would destroy everything, unchecked.</p><p>Once she was at least five blocks away, she de-transformed behind a dumpster. One street away from Luke's. She took a speedy stroll, glancing around for any sign of Chronogirl. Rey pulled her phone out and checked the holonet, and as predicted, the news feed was keeping track of Chronogirl, noting that she was teleporting and blinking in and out of existence.</p><p>Her feet had taken her straight to the steps down into Luke's apartment. Shoving her phone into her pocket, she went down the steps and banged her fist on the door in urgency.</p><p>Luke opened and looked like he saw a ghost. "Oh hell, you're here," he said, as if she shouldn't be here and off fighting the Corrupted running rampant through the city.</p><p>She crossed her arms. "You got some explaining to do."</p><p>He ushered her into the apartment. She sat down on the cushion at the table while Luke rummaged around in a box for something.</p><p>Rey took a moment to think about what just happened before launching into a rushed explanation to avoid the hell out of one particular detail she really didn't want to think about. "Luke, Chronogirl steals the time away from anyone she touches. If she had touched me it would have been over. She touched her own creator. Kylo Ren is no more."</p><p>Luke froze, turning around and looking at her with raw fear in his aged eyes. "Say it isn't so."</p><p>Rey nodded. "He um…" She fidgeted with her thumbs. She didn't want to think about the implications. Nope. Not now. "He threw himself in front of me."</p><p>Luke raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else, which she was super grateful for. "Give me a moment."</p><p>He dug around and pulled out an emerald and black box. He sat down across from her and set the wooden box down in front of her. "This is the collection of Supernovas, passed down from my grandmother to my father then to me. One day I had hoped… Never mind. This situation is so dire that I am considering something that I thought I wouldn't have to do."</p><p>The box opened up and pieces of jewelry all sat in neatly organized clear glass cases.</p><p>"Consider what exactly?" Rey asked, observing each piece of jewelry. Notably, the glass cases with the zodiac symbols for Leo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Ares, and Pisces were empty. Her eyes dragged over to a pretty stopwatch, intricate in its design with little swirls lining the silver edges.</p><p>Luke reached for the stopwatch. "Did Kylo say anything about time?"</p><p>Rey crossed her arms, nostrils flaring in annoyance. "He was vague about it. Chronogirl said something about the Butterfly Effect, but that's just a fake theory, right? If Chronogirl goes back in time that's the end of everything."</p><p>"Not exactly. Time is messy and full of many possibilities. It doesn't entirely snap, but little things can make big sweeping changes, hence, the Butterfly Effect. For all we know the world will end tomorrow."</p><p>"That's so helpful," Rey grumbled. "Kylo didn't expect Chronogirl to go rogue though. She went back on their deal and blamed him for causing this mess in the first place."</p><p>Luke held out the stopwatch to her. "And that's why I need you to use this Supernova and go back in time."</p><p>"Wait, what?" Rey gawked at the silver watch. "Why?"</p><p>"Kylo Ren isn't the type to have a villain let loose who won't listen to him, is he?"</p><p>She groaned. "You're implying that I have to work with him."</p><p>Luke shrugged. "Not implying, but stating."</p><p>"Do I have to?" Rey whined. She rather throw herself into the nearest lake than have to work with the man that she forced herself to kiss a week ago before he killed her.</p><p>"If you want a chance at beating Chronogirl, then yes. You'll have to use this Supernova, the Gemini Supernova. There is a danger to it though, it can mentally affect you, having this much power in your hands."</p><p>"How does it work?"</p><p>"It will send you back in time. You're not as strong yet, so like your Leo Supernova, it will de-transform you and snap you back to the time you left. You'll have fifteen minutes."</p><p>Her little time constraint would definitely force her to begrudgingly ask for Kylo Ren's help. Lovely.</p><p>Rey reached for the stopwatch. She nearly dropped it with trembling hands as she heard a voice speaking to her.</p><p>
  <em>Ah. Kira. You require my temporary assistance.</em>
</p><p>Luke had a smirk on his face. "You'll get used to the voices."</p><p>"I plan not to," Rey said. "I'll bring this right back when it is all set and right."</p><p>She ran out of the tiny apartment, ducking into the nearest backalley. She set the clock down and transformed into Kira. Then she picked it up, rubbing her finger over the silver backing.</p><p>"I am Supernova," she said. The clock shimmered and her golden nails were tipped electric blue. She looked into a stray puddle on the ground and saw her golden makeup was bedazzled with the same electric blue hued-rhinestones.</p><p>Huh.</p><p>
  <em>Think of the event you want to travel to and set the watch.</em>
</p><p>Kira reached for her staff, trying to think what time she should go back to fix this mess.</p><p>Her first thought was to this morning, prevent the fight between her and Kylo from ever happening so Chronogirl wouldn't be created. But wasn't that what Chronogirl in her anger wanted? And only Kira would remember, Kylo wouldn't. And he would probably make the same mistake anyways in a different way, with the Butterfly Effect resulting in something much, much worse.</p><p>She thought of the time, pressing down on the button on top of the watch. A portal of blue appeared, and she stepped into it.</p><p>Kira was back in time by about forty minutes, standing on a building overlooking… Herself, halting Chronogirl in her tracks.</p><p>Kylo Ren was in front of her on the roof, about to jump down and make his dramatic ass apparence.</p><p>Not today.</p><p>Kira leaped down and tackled him to the ground. He was caught off guard, the wind knocked out of him.</p><p>"What the hell?" he grunted, trying and failing to get back up, but Kira pushed all of her weight onto his back.</p><p>"Hello Kylo," she whispered in his ear. Maybe trying to keep her voice low wasn't the best idea, because the greeting was almost seductive. "I'm Kira from the future here to fix the mess you made. Chronogirl is going to turn on you and attack Kira and you're going to be a self-sacrificial dumbass and jump in the way."</p><p>He stilled for a moment and was that a chuckle? "Sounds like me alright."</p><p>She rolled her eyes. "I cannot deal with her by myself, and since she goes rogue, you've got little options."</p><p>He considered her for a moment. "Hmm. I believe you. Now please, get off of me? As much I like having your body against mine."</p><p>Kira really wished she could solo this just for that remark alone. She rolled off of him like he was on fire.</p><p>He got up and looked her over with a supposed innocent tilt of his head. Like he was innocent at all, for all the harm he caused thus far. Though his self-sacrifice was an oddity she would have to revisit later.</p><p>"She teleports," Kira began. "If she touches either of us with her hands…"</p><p>"She takes our time away. Which means we need to keep our distance from her and keep moving. We will have to lean on the Force."</p><p>She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Great."</p><p>There was a twinkle of mirth in his eyes. "You're stronger than you know."</p><p>Kira felt only her heart beat increase as he brushed past her to wave his hand and knock the other Kira to the side to get Chronogirl's attention.</p><p>"Not interested in you turning on me today," Kylo said.</p><p>Chronogirl squinted her eyes right at Kira. The other Kira, thrown aside, got back up, taking several steps away from Chronogirl, glancing to her future double and Kylo then back to Chronogirl.</p><p>"There's two of you, which means you managed to go back in time," Chronogirl said. "Huh. What was that about messing with timey-wimey nonsense?"</p><p>Kira rolled her eyes. "If it means stopping you, then I will do whatever it takes."</p><p>"Guess I'll just have to find others to take their time away." Chronogirl teleported down the street, searching for her next victims, which was any random passerby.</p><p>Kylo looked to Kira with a nod. "You might want to inform your past self of the details. I'll track down Chronogirl." With that, he leaped off the roof, chasing after his rogue underling.</p><p>Kira looked at her confused double. "You might want to make your way to our master's."</p><p>Her double regarded her with a nod. "Uh, yeah. Good idea."</p><p>Ten minutes till she snapped back.</p><p>Kira let out a sigh of relief, igniting her lightsaber and jumping up onto another roof, scanning the streets for Chronogirl. People stood, frozen, fading away, their time and lives stolen. She caught eye of Kylo making quick jumps and leaps up a wall, a natural display of his parkour skills. It was one thing to watch it on the news feed, it was another to see it live.</p><p>Kylo was now across the street from her. "Chronogirl is being followed by the newsfeed to the park, where lots of citizens are."</p><p>"She'll try to steal their lives. She cannot be allowed to go back in time."</p><p>He nodded. "Yes. How long do you have?"</p><p>"Eight minutes."</p><p>"Then let's finish this in five."</p><p>Kira ran out of rooftop, so she lowered herself down to the grass with the Force. Kylo was the same. Trees dotted across the fenced park where Chronogirl teleported to each and every citizen, adults and children alike. A type of rage bubbled up in her throat as a small girl faded away.</p><p>"Just because I'm working with you," she said as they both sprinted across the grass, "Doesn't mean I forgive you for this or any other prior related incidents."</p><p>"Believe me, I'm disgusted too."</p><p>That almost stopped her in her tracks. Was that more humanity displayed by Supervillain Kylo Ren today? Was the hero still within him?</p><p>No, he squished that beneath his heel and let it crumble away. He wanted the negative reception and image, because he was a monster.</p><p>"Climb that tree. I'll distract Chronogirl. You leap out with your saber and she'll be forced to defend herself with her daggers," Kylo informed her.</p><p>Kira nodded, not bothering to question his plan despite every fiber of her being demanding she fight him on principle and not trust his not-sorry irredeemable ass. She scrambled up a tree, perching herself on a thick branch.</p><p>Chronogirl reached for a crouching child, about to steal their time away, when Kylo jerked his hand in a wide fashion, his fingers taut and his stature was straight and clenched in raw anger. Kira hadn't seen that since last week, when he was in his murderous mode, but this time it was more controlled rather than raw, as if he was trying to keep his composure.</p><p>"You would honestly stoop so low as to attack children, who have so much precious time left," he said, his voice laced with venom. "Hand over your watch, Chronogirl."</p><p>She scoffed, realigning herself from being shoved away. "No thank you. Is it my fault or your fault that children are a big boost to the clock?"</p><p>He ignited his lightsaber. "Better me than them then." He stalked closer to her.</p><p>Chronogirl reached down to her boots, grabbing twin vibroblades, electric blue energy dancing from one end to the next. She was on the defensive, knowing exactly the power and strength Kylo held. "Where's your girlfriend? Still busy trying to inform her skeptical double of the Butterfly Effect?"</p><p>Kira launched herself off the branch, one hand out and locking Chronogirl in place, the other holding her golden saber staff. Chronogirl barely had any time to twist around and block the incoming blow, the twin vibroblades clashing in a fit of sparks against the golden blade.</p><p>"I happen to have friends who know more than I," Kira quipped.</p><p>Chronogirl's eyes widened as she took one dagger off the golden saber, blocking Kylo's red saber with a trembling hand. She teleported, throwing Kira off balance. She stumbled forward. This was it, this was how she was going to perish, her time running out.</p><p>A soft, light feeling flooded her limbs, like an invisible person was latching onto her shoulders and hands to steady her footing. A yelp and sizzle of pain cut through the haze and Kira managed to look behind her to see Chronogirl stumbling back, clutching her fingers. The red of Kylo's saber was near her back, the heat penetrating her wraps.</p><p>He had saved her life. Twice.</p><p>Kylo, with expert ease, flicked his hand again and Chronogirl was immobilized by her hands with the Force. Kira watched the display with awe, the Force strong and swirling around him. She could have sworn she could feel his emotions rolling off of him in waves. Anger. Fear. Guilt.</p><p>Affection.</p><p>With a snap of his fingers, he lunged forward and tapped Chronogirl's watch with one finger. The watch fell to pieces in ash to the grass. A wave of nostalgia hit Kira like a train.</p><p>Two years ago. Every villain was defeated whenever Kylo managed to use his Supernova's ultimate ability on the key object holding an innocent in Corruption.</p><p>"Kira?"</p><p>She was so engrossed in the scene before her, she forgot she was also a player in the foray. She snapped her fingers, a light dancing out from her palm and cleansing the Corruption from Chronogirl, before flying off around the park and the city, restoring people's time.</p><p>She looked at Kylo, who seemed so relieved and… Calmed. In his element. Like he still belonged in heroism before he threw it all away.</p><p>He turned to look at her. "You and I make a great team."</p><p>She crossed her arms. "We do. Doesn't change much though. You're still a criminal."</p><p>His eyes glinted with a twinge of sadness before returning to mirth. "Yes, but we are a force to be reckoned with together, sweetheart."</p><p>Her heartbeat should have calmed down by now. "If you think I'm considering joining you in this insanity, you're wrong. I'm never giving up my Supernova."</p><p>A subtle scrunch of his eyes. "We'll see."</p><p>The electric blue on her fingertips faded away. Kira imagined the rhinestones lining her eyes were gone too.</p><p>Kylo took a step back. "Until next time, Kira. I find you look more lovely in gold than blue personally."</p><p>Lovely.</p><p>He called her lovely.</p><p>It shouldn't have ignited heat in her cheeks.</p><p>With that, Kira found herself back in the alleyway, her memories of confusion at seeing herself teaming up with Kylo melding together with Kylo's rampant compliments and seeing him display his small acts of heroism up close and personal.</p><p>She slumped down against the wall, letting her first transformation run out. Rey couldn't be bothered to get up, the epiphany she should have had several weeks ago plaguing her confused and dizzied brain.</p><p>Kylo Ren was in love with her.</p><hr/><p>Rey didn't even pay attention as she made her way to the car waiting for her outside of her apartment. Rose was already seated in the backseat. Rey couldn't even take stock of the car's model or how nice the leather seat was.</p><p>Rose raised an eyebrow at her. "You okay? You've been a space case since yesterday."</p><p>Rey stared out the window, still lost in thought. "Yeah. I mean, I almost lost you guys."</p><p>Rose placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Kira saved us in the end. We're here, in the now. That's all that matters."</p><p>"Yeah. That's what matters."</p><p>The relief of finding Rose and Finn and Poe and the rest of her coworkers was a balm in the heat of Kylo's feelings. It was so confusing to her. She thwarted his plans several times, but he seemed to take it all in stride, aside from that one moment of panic during their very first duel when his Supernova ran out on him. Why the hell would he like her? Why did he flirt with her every chance he got? Was it to lead her on and trick her? It had to be it.</p><p>Or maybe she led him on by accident with that stupid life-saving kiss.</p><p>Rey would never admit to Luke that she had a high-suspicion that Kylo had feelings for her. She could only imagine the lecture she would get. As if she would ever like Kylo. He was a menace, he was her enemy. He caused pain and trouble for people of a city he had turned his back on. She would never, ever date his ass ever in her life, much less develop feelings for him. She just wanted to steal his Supernova and go, leaving the world a better place and he could go on with his miserable existence with nothing to empower him.</p><p>If only she could stop thinking about it. In a way, she supposed, it was quite flattering that her kicking his ass and making snide remarks hadn't deterred him from getting the hots for her. What a strange, strange man.</p><p>Rey stepped out of the car and finally took stock of her transport. It was super shiny and new. A classic-style of the current year's model Whisper, the ground version and compliment to the space-craft Silencer. Made by the company.</p><p>"So how'd it go?" Ben spoke behind her and Rey whirled around, all thoughts of Kylo forgotten. Ben today was wearing all black, for some reason it looked like the color was made for him.</p><p>"The ride was wonderful," Rose said. "Wasn't it, Rey?"</p><p>Rey blinked. "Y-Yeah. I didn't even notice. And I'm on time for once."</p><p>Ben gave a shy smile. "Well, uh, good. I was hoping to incorporate a company carpool. You two are my guinea pigs."</p><p>"So I'm also adorable?" Rey said before she could stop herself.</p><p>He chuckled. "Yes."</p><p>Rose ribbed her on the way up in the elevator, but Rey didn't care. She was on cloud nine for the rest of the day.</p><p>Who needed crushing supervillains when she had her sweet, broody supervisor.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next time: Darkblade</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am on <a href="https://twitter.com/DarkMageXIII">Twitter</a> where I yell about this fic and Reylo and pretty much anything lol.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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